A major new leak of Apple's rumored 10th-gen iPad suggests the entry-level iPad is getting a major design change while retaining some of its best features including Touch ID.
MySmartPrice reports that Apple "is working on the next-gen iPad line up and the upcoming iPad may launch as iPad 2022 or 10th gen iPad/iPad 10th Gen" and that it has received exclusive CAD renders giving us a first look at the possible design.
The leaked CAD files reveal a major design change with square edges but suggest the new iPad could keep its fingerprint scanner and Home Button.
CAD files
"From the below-shown CAD renders, we can see that the 10th gen iPad will look similar to the 9th Gen from the front with the camera on the top and Touch ID on the bottom of the screen," notes the report.
The rear of the device looks set to include a single camera like the previous model but could include a new LED flash and a small camera bump to go with it.
At the bottom, there's a quad-speaker set up, a power button up top, and more. As noted, the new iPad will reportedly retain Touch ID, likely to keep costs down by not switching to Face ID and a more expensive front camera.
While the bottom of the device appears to show a USB-C port this is actually not clear, with the report noting they're a mystery because of the red markings. It has been previously reported the next iPad will get a USB-C port. The CAD files also indicate that a new larger display is possibly on the way and that this could be the end of the headphone jack for Apple's cheapest iPad.
A report in June indicated the next iPad will have 5G, USB-C, and an A14 chip, as well as a Retina display that's the same as the current iPad Air.
The base model iPad is one of Apple's best iPads and one of the most popular models, however, it is in desperate need of a design change now that all of Apple's other tablets have been updated to the new squarer design language. If this leak is correct this might finally be the year.
