Redesigned 2022 iPad might hold on to Home button

Redesigned 2022 iPad might hold on to Home button

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A side-by-side comparison with iPad 9 (right) shows the upcoming iPad 10 (left) will be wider.
Photo: Mysmartprice/Cult of Mac

The 10.2-inch iPad expected in fall 2022 supposedly will get a facelift. Leaked CAD drawing indicate the upcoming tablet will have a larger screen and the flat edges Apple includes in its other tablets.

But the low-cost iPad 10 reportedly will remain the last iPadOS device with a Home button after the redesign.

2022 iPad might add flat edges but keep Home button

The $329 price makes the 10.2-inch iPad very popular. It’s one of Apple’s cheapest computers but offers plenty of capabilities and decent performance.

The tenth version apparently will keep much of what makes the device popular, but with a new look. CAD drawings and renders leaked to Mysmartprice show flat edges in place of the curved ones in the iPad 9.

The width is supposedly increasing marginally. It’ll be 9.8 inches by 7 inches and 0.27 inches thick. The current version is 9.8 inches by 6.8 inches by 0.29 inches, so the new version will also be slightly thinner.

Previous rumors indicated the screen will increase to 10.5 inches. The leaked CAD images show the display is wider than the one in the current model, but not taller.

When redesigning previous tablets, Apple made room for more screen by removing the Home button. That’s apparently not happening with the iPad 10, though.

USB-C, camera upgrades and more

Previous leaks pointed to the 2022 budget iPad making the switch to USB-C in place of a Lightning port. The CAD drawings and renders don’t confirm this either way.

Apple supposedly will add a flash to the camera in the 2022 iPad. And the renders also show the camera is going into a “hump,” strongly suggesting it’s getting a resolution upgrade from the current 8 megapixel shooter.

Earlier unconfirmed reports indicated the tablet will use an Apple A14 processor, up from the Apple A13 chip in the current model.

4G cellular access has been an option in the tablet line for many years, and the next-gen model will up that to 5G. All current iPad Air, iPad mini and iPad Pro versions already the offer a 5G option.

Apple released a new budget tablet every year going back to 2017. If it sticks with that pattern, the iPad 10 with USB-C will launch in fall 2022. Whether there’ll be a price increase is anyone’s guess.