The latest evidence comes from leaker L0vetodream on Twitter, who said the iPad Pro 2021 will have Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X55 5G modem, allowing it to support both sub-6Ghz and mmWave bands.
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This same device could also be the first tablet with a miniLED display. An upgrade from the current LED panels, miniLED offers similar benefits to OLED – high contrast, deep black levels, high brightness – but at a lower price and without the risk of burn-in. The anonymous leaker also said the new iPad Pro would run on the A14X chip expected to power the new iPhone. Previous reports claimed Apple was aiming for a fall release of the 5G iPad Pro but its plans were pushed back for unknown reasons. It’s possible that supply chain delays caused by the coronavirus are behind the delay. Whatever the case, Apple is now expected to release the premium tablet in Q1 or Q2 of 2021. L0vetodream’s claim is at odds with the timeline given by Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who predicted “half a dozen” devices with miniLED launching by the end of 2020. Then again, analyst Jeff Pu of GF securities sided with L0vetodream, saying in an investor note that the iPad Pro was pushed back to 2021. Apple released new iPad Pros in March so it’s possible the company will aim for a 12-month turnaround and release the new models in March of next year. Whenever it arrives, the next iPad Pro will bring some huge upgrades that we missed out on with the current model.
