Apple is expected to take the wraps off not one but four iPads soon, and that includes the anticipated 10.5-inch iPad Pro 2, which is arguably the most interesting out of the bunch.
To be clear, the lineup consists of the 12.9-inch iPad Pro 2, the 9.7-inch iPad Pro 2, the iPad mini Pro, and the aforementioned 10.5-incher.
The first three are considered to be upgrades of Apple's current selection — the iPad Pro to the 12.9- and 9.7-inch iPad Pro 2, and the iPad mini 4 to the iPad mini Pro. Meanwhile, the 10.5-inch iPad Pro 2 is believed to be a completely new offering, and apart from not exactly being a direct successor of a previous device, it's also because of the specs and features it's said to come with.
10.5-Inch iPad Pro 2 And 9.7-Inch iPad Pro Share The Same Size
According to Japanese website Macotakara, the 10.5-inch iPad Pro 2 will sport the same size as the 9.7-inch iPad Pro, and that's been made possible because of a near bezel-less screen. By "near," the report means that the tablet won't be completely free of bezels, of course, and to be exact, there's some left at the top where the FaceTime camera is placed.
It should also be pointed out that this makes sense because this way, Apple will be making sure the Smart Keyboard will be compatible with it too, as IHS Markit's director of tablets and PCs research Rhoda Alexander points out in a Forbes interview.
More than that, it's going to have a virtual Home button, which shouldn't come as much of a surprise because of the doing-away-with-the-bezel thing. That said, it's worth mentioning that the Home button problems of the iPhone 7 won't be an issue for the slab at all.
A10X Processor To Power 10.5-Inch iPad Pro 2
With an A10X processor under the hood, the performance of the 10.5-inch iPad Pro 2 is going to be fast and smooth, as it's an upgrade from the iPhone 7's A10, after all.
Interestingly enough, this implementation has a historical basis where Apple reserves the X series chips for iPads.
OLED Panel On The 10.5-Inch iPad Pro 2 Not In The Cards
Not much to hash out about this one, but reports have said that the 10.5-inch iPad Pro 2 won't have an OLED panel but an LCD one.
OLED is arriving to the tablets in 2018 at the earliest, renowned Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said.
10.5-Inch iPad Pro 2's Potential Price And Release Date
It's unclear how much the 10.5-inch iPad Pro 2 will cost, but there have been speculations that it'll take the place of the current 9.7-inch iPad Pro in Apple's selection and hold customers back by $599.
As for the release date, it could be anytime from March 20 to 24, but some reports are contradicting that statement, saying it's set for April instead.
To boil things down, the 10.5-inch iPad Pro 2 stands out from the rest because of its near bezel-less screen and virtual Home button, not to mention that it's not getting left behind in terms of performance thanks to the A10X processor. Incidentally, it's also aimed at education and business markets.
Of course, nothing is set in stone just yet, but if anything, these details do paint a good picture of what to expect.
With all said and done, what do you think of potential specs and features of the upcoming Apple slab? Feel free to hit us up in the comments section below and let us know.
