New iPad Air with in-screen Touch ID, slim bezels coming September; budget iPad too
The 11-inch iPad Pro (2020)
Is the new anonymous tipster reliable?
The leaker in question has never been reported on before yet seems to have an impressively accurate track record when it comes to Apple leaks. A quick look through his Twitter account shows that he correctly predicted Apple's plans to announced the new 2020 iPad Pro series and MacBook Air in the third week of March.
He also Tweeted cryptically about the imminent Magic Keyboard release just house before it was official. Other Tweets have mentioned the AirTags and iPhone SE (2020) delays, two things that have since provent to be true, as well as several key iPhone SE specs and even the launch timeline.
More importantly, however, most of this information was published before anybody else. That would suggest the anonymous tipster has access to several accurate sources and leads us to believe the other information he has shared previously could be accurate.
11-inch iPad Air with in-screen Touch ID
YouTuber and leaker Jon Prosser said recently that Apple is planning to release a 5G iPad Pro complete with the next-gen A14X Bionic later this year, potentially alongside the iPhone 12. The new tipster, who goes by the handle L0veToDream, disagrees saying Apple instead has plans to unveil an all-new iPad Air in September.
The fourth-gen iPad Air reportedly features a Mini-LED display that measures in at 11-inches. That is paired with an all-screen design and uniform bezels, meaning it could resemble the existing 11-inch iPad Pro quite closely.
The 2019 iPad Air
The key differentiating factor between the iPad Air and iPad Pro, aside from the updated camera system and LiDAR Scanner on the latter, will be Apple's biometric recognition system. Whereas the iPad Pro relies on Face ID, the new iPad Air apparently uses a new in-screen Touch ID implementation.
Apple has been working on this technology for years with the objective of integrating it into future Apple Watch and iPhone models. Today's report suggests the Tim Cook-led company has chosen to first test it out on the iPad Air before expanding its presence.
There is no word just yet on the included chipset, but the existing iPad Air integrates the A12 Bionic. That was the newest option at the time of launch, which means the next-gen tablet could integrate the upcoming A14 Bionic that's set to be used inside the iPhone 12 Pro.
A much more powerful budget iPad is coming
As previously reported by Bloomberg, launching alongside the new iPad Air could be an updated entry-level iPad to replace the one introduced last September. Ming-Chi Kuo says a Mini-LED display is expected on this product too and now an important hardware bump is reportedly on the cards.
The 2019 10.2-inch iPad
If the information shared recently is true, Apple is planning to replace the A10 Fusion with the much newer and faster A12 Bionic. As mentioned above, that is the chipset used inside the existing iPad Air. It can also be found inside the iPhone XS and iPhone XR.
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