Apple’s simply named “iPad” is its cheapest tablet, starting at $329 normally, and the current model was refreshed last September. This year it will see more substantial updates, according to a new rumor.
The next cheap iPad will have a Retina display with the same 1640×2360 resolution as the iPad Air, which means its diagonal will change too, from 10.2″ currently to 10.9″ to match the latest iPad Air, released in March. However, support for a wide color gamut and high brightness will remain exclusive to the more expensive tablets in Apple’s lineup.
The upcoming cheap iPad will be powered by the A14 Bionic chipset with 5G support, the same source claims, and will be equipped with a USB-C port – Lightning will be gone. So from that point on Apple’s entire modern tablet roster will have USB-C on board. It’s weird that iPhones haven’t followed suit yet, but they might be forced to in the future.
It’s still unclear when this new cheap iPad will be introduced, but if history repeats itself then it should show up at the fall iPhone launch event.
