iPad Pro With Thunderbolt and Mini-LED Display Coming 'As Early As April'

Apple will introduce new iPads as early as April, according to a new report shared today by Bloomberg. The April date comes following incorrect rumors that Apple planned to hold an event on March 23.

Apple will refresh its iPad Pro lineup, introducing new models that "look similar to the current iPad Pros" in the same 11 and 12.9-inch screen sizes. The two iPads are expected to feature an updated A14X processor that's "on par" with the M1 chip in the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and Mac mini, along with better cameras.

A mini-LED display will be included with "at least" the larger 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌, with the display upgrade bringing improved brightness and contrast ratios. This is in line with many rumors that we've heard previously, and most of the information suggests the upgraded display technology will be limited to the 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌.

Apple has tested ‌iPad‌ Pros with a Thunderbolt connector that would make them compatible with additional external monitors, hard drives, and peripherals, plus it brings faster data syncing speeds. Apple's Mac machines have featured Thunderbolt technology for years now, but current ‌iPad Pro‌ and iPad Air models have standard USB-C ports.

Later this year, Apple plans to refresh its cheapest ‌iPad‌, and Apple is also working on a new version of the iPad mini with a larger display.

There was a lot of chatter suggesting Apple would hold a March event to introduce new ‌iPad‌ models, AirPods 3, and perhaps AirTags, but those rumors were never confirmed by a reliable source like Bloomberg or Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. With ‌iPad Pro‌ models launching in April and the ‌AirPods‌ 3 now set for the third-quarter of 2021 based on rumors from earlier this week, it looks like there will be no March announcement.