The iOS 12 developer beta 5 has been around for a few days, and developers are still digging into the new beta code. Multiple analysts and supply chain leaks have indicated that the third-gen iPad Pro would have slimmer bezels, Face ID technology, and no physical home button. Apparently, the changes in iPad Pro 3 design have been confirmed by the latest iOS 12 beta software. Apple is expected to unveil the new iPad Pro models later this fall.
iPad Pro 3 design follows the iPhone X, but won’t adopt the notch
An icon hidden within the iOS 12 beta software hints at the new iPad Pro 3 design. It was spotted by 9to5Mac contributor Guilherme Rambo. The icon, located in the battery usage interface, is new in the iOS 12 developer beta 5. You can see below that the regular iPad glyph “HLSipad” has thick bezels all around with a physical home button. But the new iPad Pro glyph “HLSipad2” has incredibly slim bezels and no home button.
Missing from the iPad Pro 3 design is the display notch that will be present in all three upcoming iPhones. It indicates that the bezels on the new iPad Pro will still be thick enough to accommodate the front camera and other sensors. Last month, TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo told clients that Apple would launch an 11-inch iPad Pro and a larger 12.9-inch iPad Pro later this fall.
An earlier leak revealed that the smaller model would measure 247.5mm x 178.7mm x 6mm, compared to the current 10.5-inch model’s 250.6mm x 174.1mm x 6.1 mm. The larger 12.9-inch iPad Pro is said to measure 280mm x 215mm x 6.4mm compared to the current model’s 305.7 x 220.6 x 6.9 mm.
Since the iPad Pro 3 design lacks the home button and Touch ID fingerprint reader, Apple will likely offer the TrueDepth camera system and Face ID for security. The Face ID sensors will be located in the top bezel, which means there is no display notch. The rumor mill claims that Face ID on iOS 12 will support landscape orientation, which the iPad Pro 3 users will find particularly useful. If anyone had doubts about whether the new iPad Pro 3 design would include Face ID, Guilherme Rambo has found code in iOS 12 beta, which confirms that Face ID is coming to the new iPads.
This method in AccessibilitySettings confirms Face ID on the new iPad Pro (J3xx) pic.twitter.com/oeJQ0GxOoM
— Guilherme Rambo (@_inside) August 1, 2018
It’s not the first time icons in Apple’s beta software have revealed the design of its upcoming products. Last year, the HomePod software leak had confirmed that Apple was working on a bezel-less iPhone with no home button, which later turned out to be iPhone X. Coming back to the iPad Pro 3 design, recent reports indicate that Apple would remove the 3.5mm headphone jack. As if that isn’t disappointing enough, the company will not even include a 3.5mm headphone jack to Lightning adapter in the box.
Last month, designer Álvaro Pabesio came up with a concept showing off the rumored iPad Pro 3 design. The concept looks beautiful with its slim bezels and Face ID technology. However, the concept device has rounded corners like iPhone X, which many iPad users wouldn’t like. Pabesio takes things a bit too far by incorporating dual 12MP cameras on the back similar to iPhone X to offer portrait images, 2x optical zoom, up to 10x digital zoom, and support augmented reality. We don’t know whether the iPad Pro 3 will have dual cameras on the back.
According to Bloomberg, the upcoming iPads will continue to use LCD panels rather than switching to the more expensive OLED displays. Apple suppliers don’t yet have the capacity to meet its massive demand for OLED screens. It is unclear whether the new tablet would run a version of the upcoming A12 processor or an improved variant of A11 Bionic chipset. Past reports indicate it would run an octa-core A11X Bionic processor. Apple will likely retain the 4GB RAM and 64GB base storage.
Apple could unveil the iPad Pro 3 in September alongside new iPhones and Apple Watch models. However, the company wouldn’t want the iPads to steal the limelight from its flagship iPhones. So, it could hold a separate event in October to unveil the new iPads and Macs, as it has done in the last few years.
What else the iOS 12 beta tells us about the upcoming iProducts
The iOS 12 beta software has revealed many other details about the upcoming iPhones and iPads. It will offer landscape mode features on the 6.5-inch iPhone X Plus, taking full advantage of the additional screen space on the largest model. Though Plus models of iPhones had the landscape mode for years, it was not available on the iPhone X. The latest iOS 12 beta also hints Apple would release a new AirPods case with an external LED indicator.
The fifth developer beta of iOS 12 has also confirmed that at least one of the upcoming iPhones would offer dual SIM functionality. It corroborates with an earlier report from Ming-Chi Kuo, who predicted the dual SIM iPhone was in the offing but it would not be sold in the US due to resistance from carriers. Also, the HomePod software will finally gain the ability later this year to make and receive phone calls.
