Apple is expected to announce new iPad and iPad Pro tablets in the coming days. These are the features that will really make a difference.
I’m PCMag’s managing editor for consumer electronics content, overseeing an experienced team of reviewers and product testers. I’ve been covering tech for more than 20 years. Prior to PCMag, I worked at outlets such as Android Authority, Fortune, InformationWeek, and Phonescoop.
Late October often means it’s time for new iPads. Apple has refreshed its entry-level iPad line in the fall over the last few years so the timing is ripe. More importantly, it’s been a solid 18 months since it updated the iPad Pro lineup. Both series of slates are expected(Opens in a new window) to see new hardware in the coming days, in addition to the release of iPadOS 16.
With that in mind, we’ve put together a list of all the features we’re hoping to see on the new iPads this year.
Apple is widely known for recycling its designs, and the standard iPad model is one that’s been recycled over and over. The current design language dates back years and is sorely behind the general trend in tablet design for the early 2020s.
For the last few years, the standard iPad has featured thick bezels above and below the display. One benefit of this design is that the Touch ID button, placed below the screen, still fits in the chassis. However, the iPad Air and iPad Pro models have ditched the Touch ID in favor of Face ID and nearly bezel-less designs. Further, many Android tablets have trimmed their bezels to reduce the amount of bordering around the screen. That means the current-get iPad is a holdover from tablet designs of yesteryear. It’s time to move on.
The iPad Air and iPad Pro moved away from Apple’s proprietary Lightning port to USB-C. The standard iPad, however, remains stubbornly stuck on Lightning. We want to see it drop Lightning once and for all for USB-C. Given the recent UE mandate, it’s highly probable.
Apple typically provides modest processor upgrades for its entry-level iPad. The current 9th-generation iPad has the outdated A13 Bionic on board. We don’t expect the vanilla iPad to add the most recent M2 chip, but it should at least see an upgrade to the current A16 Bionic.
The 2021 iPad ships with 64GB or 256GB of storage. Many Android tablets in the $400 to $600 price range ship with a minimum of 128GB of storage—and often support expandable storage via microSD card. Now that the base-level iPhone ships with 128GB of storage, it’s time the base-level iPad does the same. We’d also love to see at least two step-up options—256GB and 512GB—rather than a single upgrade.
The entry-level iPad is compatible with the original, first-generation Apple Pencil. The iPad Pro and iPad Air both support the second-generation Apple Pencil. The biggest difference is that the newer Pencil is able to charge wirelessly by magnetically snapping to the tablet’s chassis (the original Apple Pencil requires Lightning cables to charge properly). It’s time the standard iPad supports the newer Apple Pencil.
The low-cost iPad has limited camera abilities. The main shooter features an 8MP sensor at f/2.4. It produces grainy photos in comparison with the iPad Pro’s and the iPad Air’s 12MP cameras. Better video capture would be great, too. The vanilla iPad is limited to 1080p video capture, while the Pro and Air can record video up to 4K.
Our wish list for the iPad Pro family is shorter. Apple already ensures that its top-of-the-line tablets get the latest chips, the best screen tech, updated cameras, and more. Even so, there’s always room for improvement. He’s what Apple can do to make the best iPad Pro in 2022.
Apple has kept the resolution and pixel density of its iPad Pro and iPad Air lines about the same for several generations now. That means a screen with 2,388 by 1,668 pixels at 264ppi for the early-2021 11-inch Pro. Meanwhile, the iPhone 14 Pro Max features a resolution of 2,796 by 1,290 pixels with a density of 460ppi. Considering this is a “pro” machine on which some creators are processing photos and videos, more pixels would be helpful. The 600-nit brightness limit could use a boost, too. A peak of 1,000 nits would be a good place to start.
Since its 2010 debut, the Apple iPad has offered approximately 10 hours of battery life. Despite a decade of battery, processor, and screen innovation, nearly all iPad models still offer the same 10-hour battery life. Meanwhile, Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S8 pushes out about 13 hours of battery life and Apple’s own laptops are reaching 17 hours. Pro tablets that are meant to be used by creators over an entire day need more than 10 hours of battery life. 12 hours seems reasonable for a new iPad Pro in 2022.
A long-standing complaint about Apple’s iPads is the location of the Face ID/selfie camera. The camera is positioned at the top if the tablet is held with the screen in vertical orientation. However, when most iPads are used with a keyboard (or handheld for watching video content), this means the camera falls to the right side of the screen (rather than centered) for video calls, where it can be obscured by your hand. Given the prevalence of video calls these days for both business and personal reasons, the camera needs to be relocated so it is centered when the tablet is held in landscape orientation. Higher-quality video wouldn’t hurt, either.
We don’t expect all these changes to become a reality, but some of them aren’t unreasonable asks from Apple at this point—particularly given the status and power of competing tablets. We should know more about the new tablets soon enough, make sure to check back with PCMag for the latest iPad news and reviews.
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I’m PCMag’s managing editor for consumer electronics content, overseeing an experienced team of reviewers and product testers. I’ve been covering tech for more than 20 years. Prior to PCMag, I worked at outlets such as Android Authority, Fortune, InformationWeek, and Phonescoop.
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