The latest 10.2-inch 8th generation iPad was launched in September 2019, meaning that it became official just over a year ago. However, it seems that Apple may be working on an refresh, and it could arrive in the early half of 2021.

According to the Chinese website cnBeta we could soon get a new entry-level iPad with a larger display and a better processor in Spring 2021. The report claims that the ninth generation model will be very similar to the current gen-8 iPad, but it would also feature a couple of improvements. First of all, we would get a larger 10.5-inch LED display, an Apple A13 Bionic chip, 4GB RAM, and a design that should be thinner and lighter. However, other features such as the Home Button with Touch ID and the Lightning port will remain.

Apple would manage to deliver these new changes by reusing the chassis and front panel of the gen-3 iPad Air. This would make perfect sense, as it’s something Apple has done a couple of times in the past. Just to set an example, the first iPad Air was turned into the gen-5 iPad, while the 10.5-inch Pro’s design came to become the gen-3 Air. A more recent example gives us the latest Air model in the design of the 11-inch iPad Pro.

Now, the gen-3 Air is 1.4mm thinner and 0.07 pounds lighter than the current gen-8 iPad. It also comes equipped with a 10.5-inch display, and it also features a Lightning port and a Home Button, so this would match what we may get in the next iPad refresh. Now, the best part of this rumor is that it claims that the new model would arrive with a $299 price tag, and its storage options would start at 64GB, which is better than the 32GB storage space in the latest 10.2-inch iPad, usually priced at $329.

Source cnBeta

Via MacRumors