Oliver Haslam·

2018 iPad Pro To Feature iPhone X-Like Redesign With Bezel-Less Display, Face ID Replacing Touch ID, More

Mark Gurman is at it again, with his little birdies telling him that Apple is working on a newly redesigned high-end iPad that will borrow from the iPhone X design.

That means we can expect thinner bezels and Face ID, according to “people familiar with the matter.” Furthermore, all of this should be ready for release some time in 2018 according to the report.

While the thought of another of the iPhone X’s features moving to the iPad, the OLED display, will instantly appeal, it would appear that expectations of such a move should be tempered. According to Gurman’s sources, an OLED iPad is “unlikely.”

However we should get at least one iPad Pro, likely 10.5-inches, with Face ID built-in, allowing Apple to replace the Home button on an iPad for the first time. If Apple’s 2018 timeline is met then we can expect the 10.5-inch iPad Pro to receive a refresh around a year after its last major overhaul. With the removal of the Home button, Apple will be able to make the edges of the new iPad smaller, mimicking the iPhone X somewhat.

By removing the home button, Apple plans to noticeably reduce the size of the edges on the top and bottom of the device for the first time since its introduction in 2010, bringing the design closer to that of the recently released flagship iPhone X. The new version will mark the first revamped look for the iPad since the first iPad Pro debuted in 2015. An Apple spokeswoman declined to comment.

With demand for iPads in steady decline since its hay-day back in 2015, although last two quarters has shown an upwards trend in sales, a radical redesign that borrows heavily from the iPhone X could be just what the doctor ordered for a lineup and will only help Apple’s mantra of iPad being future of computing forward.

(source: Bloomberg, Top image: Benjamin Geskin [Twitter])

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