It looks like Apple hasn’t forgotten about the iPad after all. The company may be planning on releasing a trio of new iPads in March, including one device with a bezel-free 10.9-inch design.
According to reports, the bezel-less design will allow the device to have the same physical size as the 9.7-inch iPad Pro, while offering a larger display. That could also signal the removal of the Home button and an edge-to-edge design on the device. The news comes from a research note obtained by MacRumors from Barclays Research analysts Blayne Curtis, Christopher Hemmelgarn, Thomas O’Malley, and Jerry Zhang.
This isn’t the first time we’ve heard news that Apple was developing an iPad in the 10-inch size range, however we haven’t really heard what the exact screen size would be until now.
On top of the new bezel-less iPad, analysts also expect Apple to release a new 9.7-inch low-cost iPad Pro, which will be sold alongside the iPad Mini. Analysts don’t expect the iPad Mini to get an update — instead, Apple will continue selling the iPad Mini 4, which was released by Apple in September 2015.
It’s also said that the 12.9-inch iPad Pro will receive its own update. Some expect the device to get a True Tone display, like the smaller 9.7-inch device. That display uses a series of ambient light sensors to change the color of the display depending on the color and intensity of the light that is surrounding the iPad, ensuring that it always appears to look natural. The 12.9-inch iPad Pro will also apparently get the 12MP rear-facing camera from the 9.7-inch device.
All three of the new iPad models will reportedly get quad microphones, and will keep the headphone jack, unlike the new iPhone 7.
