Apple announced the 2020 refresh of the iPad Pro lineup in March this year. It was a minor refresh with a slightly powerful A12Z Bionic chip, double the base storage, and a new camera setup which included a LiDAR scanner. It was not really an impressive refresh by any means especially since the iPad Pro lineup was being updated by Apple after 18 months. There were rumors of Apple refreshing the iPad Pro lineup again later this year with a mini-LED display and faster A14X Bionic chips.
Many reports have claimed that Apple has delayed the release of its products with mini-LED display to early next year due to development issues following the COVID-19 outbreak. Renowned leaker @L0vetodream has now also confirmed that Apple’s next iPad Pro refresh with faster A14X chips will only land in Q1 or Q2. The 11-inch iPad Pro is already under development at Apple with the codename J517, while the 12.9-inch iPad Pro has the codename J522.
next year Q1 or Q2 https://t.co/1C57Oms2HX
— 有没有搞措 (@L0vetodream) June 3, 2020
with mini led and 5G X55 baseband https://t.co/1C57Oms2HX
— 有没有搞措 (@L0vetodream) June 3, 2020
The A14X chipset inside the next iPad Pro refresh will first debut inside the iPhone 12 later this year. It would be based on the 5nm fabrication node from TSMC that should make it denser and power-efficient than the A12Z Bionic found inside the existing iPad Pro. For 5G connectivity, Apple will be using the Snapdragon X55 modem which should also find its way inside the iPhone 12 series.
A rumor from earlier today had claimed that Apple could launch the fourth-gen iPad Air later this year with a USB-C port and bigger display with slimmer bezels akin to the first-generation iPad Pro. The iPad mini is also expected to get refreshed with faster internals.
