Leaker: Apple to Launch New Low-Cost iPad This Year With A12 Chip

Apple's eighth-generation iPad will arrive this year and feature an A12 chip, according to an anonymous Twitter account with a thus-far proven track record for forthcoming Apple product leaks.

ipad7keyboard
Apple's seventh-generation ‌iPad‌, introduced in September 2019, was an iterative update to the sixth-generation low-cost ‌iPad‌, with a larger 10.2-inch display and support for new accessories. However, it used the same A10 Fusion chip as the sixth-generation ‌iPad‌.

On Thursday, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that Apple is working on two new ‌iPad‌ models, which include a 10.8-inch ‌‌iPad‌‌ and an 8.5 to 9-inch ‌‌iPad‌‌ mini. These new iPads are expected to launch in the second half of 2020 and the first half of 2021, respectively.

Kuo said that he believes the two new ‌‌iPad‌‌ models will follow the ‌iPhone SE‌'s product strategy, which means affordable price points. The existing low-cost ‌‌iPad‌‌ is 10.2 inches, so it's not clear if Apple plans to introduce larger-sized tablets or increase the available display size through bezel reduction.


Rumors aside, it would be reasonable to expect a new entry-level ‌iPad‌ this year, as the device has been updated annually for the past three generations. Also, the A10 chip was first used in the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, so there's a good case for arguing that it's about time Apple took the processing power up a notch in its most affordable ‌iPad‌. The A12 chip first appeared in the ‌iPhone‌ XS, XS Max, XR and the 2019 versions of the iPad Air and ‌iPad‌ Mini.

In recent weeks, the anonymously-run Twitter account "L0vetodream" has noted that some products and components have been delayed, including the new iMac models and the A14 chip. It has also hinted at a 2021 release for a rumored 14-inch MacBook Pro.

The Twitter account accurately revealed several details about the new ‌iPhone SE‌ before any other leakers that we know of, including that the device would launch in the second week of April and come in three storage capacities. Likewise, the account accurately claimed that new iPad Pro models would launch in the third week of March.

Related Roundup: iPad
Buyer's Guide: iPad (Caution)
Related Forum: iPad

Top Rated Comments

MrGimper Avatar
47 months ago
I feel non-laminated screens really annoy me more than they should.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
chucker23n1 Avatar
47 months ago
I still don't understand the positioning of $329 iPad vs. iPad Air.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Zdigital2015 Avatar
47 months ago

So many models.
Four (4) models is not “so many models”. Good grief!

iPad mini - smallest, most portable
iPad - cheapest
iPad Air - best for most
iPad Pro - highest end, fastest, pick a size

A very simple lineup, actually.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BMcCoy Avatar
47 months ago
If it's an A12 10.5 inch iPad, with 3GB RAM, touch ID, 64GB base storage and upgraded front camera to 7M from 1.2M, then isn't that just a 2019 iPad Air?
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
EugW Avatar
47 months ago

If it's an A12 10.5 inch iPad, with 3GB RAM, touch ID, 64GB base storage and upgraded front camera to 7M from 1.2M, then isn't that just a 2019 iPad Air?
No laminated screen thin screen, and no True Tone or wide colour gamut. Also, no anti-reflective coating.

Plus the iPad Air will get updated.



I don't see new technology in the bottom of the line iPad.

It doesn't even have the 2nd gen touch ID sensor that the air and mini have.
That’s why I predicted 10.2” and conventional Touch ID, but some seem to be predicting 10.8”.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Zdigital2015 Avatar
47 months ago

Do we need 500 different iPad models? Fkn hell man this character Cook is so desperate for sales but so stingy to drop the price of the over priced iPads. Guy wants to drop the price of items by giving u jack **** in return. Just the ability to say hey I have an iPad.



literally NO ONE complained about “so few models” when we had only ONE model for YEARS under jobs.

yes the problem is he is creating a platform to make more by giving you less product in return. It’s quite easy to see actually. Under Jobs we got the best product at all times. This idiot increased the price of the best products by hundreds, sales went down, so he created a lesser product for the price we used to pay for the best. And now no ones buying the average iPad either so he’s giving you less...again. That’s how you ruin your brand.
There are four models of iPad, five if you count the Pros as two separate models. Any human can count the number of models on a single hand, barring a disability.

So NOT 500...

Sales pay the bills of the software dev along with the hardware dev. Product segmentation is a real thing in every industry, because a company’s existence is to SELL a product. Or a service.

You got what Jobs gave you, which wasn’t always “the best”, but it was the only, you just didn’t know any better. Most were just happy to get what they got.

No one wax’s poetic about the first gen MacBook Air. It was slow and expensive and only had one USB port. Tim Cook is simply trying to broaden the iPad appeal the same way we have more than one Mac, because people like a 16” MacBook Pro over a 13” MacBook Air.

This isn’t Soviet Russia where you got one choice of car or you hoofed it. Choice drives competition, sales and innovation.

Maybe the iPad isn’t for you.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 17

iOS 17.2 Will Add These 12 New Features to Your iPhone

Friday December 1, 2023 12:19 pm PST by
iOS 17.2 has been in beta testing for over a month, and it should be released to all users in a few more weeks. The software update includes many new features and changes for iPhones, including the dozen that we have highlighted below. iOS 17.2 is expected to be released to the public in mid-December. To learn about even more features coming in the update, check out our full list. Journal ...
iOS 16 4 Web Push

Apple Confirms Governments Using Push Notifications to Surveil Users

Wednesday December 6, 2023 5:06 am PST by
Unidentified governments are surveilling smartphone users by tracking push notifications that move through Google's and Apple's servers, a US senator warned on Wednesday (via Reuters). In a letter to the Department of Justice, Senator Ron Wyden said foreign officials were demanding the data from the tech giants to track smartphones. The traffic flowing from apps that send push notifications...
airpods pro 2 pink

Apple Releases New AirPods Pro 2 Firmware

Tuesday December 5, 2023 11:28 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware update for both the Lightning and USB-C versions of the AirPods Pro 2. The new firmware is version 6B34, up from the 6B32 firmware introduced in November. Apple does not provide details on what features might be included in the refreshed firmware beyond "bug fixes and other improvements," so it is unclear what's new in the update, but prior software releases ...
magsafe blue 2

iOS 17.2 Brings Qi2 Support to iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 Models

Tuesday December 5, 2023 11:04 am PST by
The iOS 17.2 update that Apple is set to release to the public in the near future will bring support for the next-generation Qi2 wireless charging standard to the iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 models. Qi2 was mentioned in the release notes for the RC version of the update that came out today. With the addition of support for the new standard, iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 models will work with Qi2...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue

'All-Screen' iPhone Under-Display Camera Enters Development

Wednesday December 6, 2023 2:03 am PST by
Apple's Korean suppliers have begun developing smartphone under-display cameras (UDC), paving the way for the first iPhone with a true "all-screen" appearance. According to The Elec, LG Innotek has entered the preliminary development of the UDC, which sits under the display and does not result in a visible hole in the panel when the camera is not in use. A UPC differs from a typical front ...
instagram messenger

Instagram and Facebook Messenger Chats to Disconnect This Month

Tuesday December 5, 2023 1:57 am PST by
Meta has revealed plans to end Instagram users' ability to chat with Facebook accounts later this month, rolling back a feature that it introduced over three years ago. In September 2020, Meta (then Facebook) announced it was merging its Facebook Messenger service with Instagram direct messaging, allowing Instagram users to chat with Facebook users and vice versa using the same platform....
airpods pro bulbs

Black Friday Prices Return for AirPods Pro 2 With USB-C, iPad, and More

Tuesday December 5, 2023 7:30 am PST by
Today we're tracking a collection of deals that are matching - or nearly matching - the same all-time low discounts we saw during Black Friday. This includes the AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C, 9th generation iPad, and M1 MacBook Air. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the ...
iPhone 15 USB C Port Event Still

Apple Pushes Back Against iPhone USB-C Regulations in India

Tuesday December 5, 2023 4:18 am PST by
Apple has asked the Indian government to exempt existing iPhones from new rules that require smartphones sold in the country to have a USB-C charging port, reports Reuters. India wants to replicate an upcoming European Union rule that requires all smartphones to implement the USB-C charging standard. However, according to a new report, Apple has told India its local production targets will...