The new iPad 10.2 (2021) has only recently landed, but it’s never too early to start thinking about the next model, which – as we are not sure about the screen size yet – we just call the new iPad 2022 for now.
There’s a bit in the way of news about Apple’s next entry-level slate yet, but we can predict some things, and you’ll find them below that cover the possible release date, price, and some of the specs and features.
So below we have included a wish list of what we want to see from the new iPad 2022 to make it the best possible budget iPad. And be sure to check back regularly as we update this article when we hear news or rumors about this tablet.
Get to the point
- What is it? The next cheap tablet from Apple
- When is it out? Probably September 2022
- How much will it cost? Probably around $ 329 / £ 319 / AU $ 499
New release date and price for iPad 2022
We do not know when the new iPad 2022 will be announced, but we can well guess when iPad 10.2 (2021) was unveiled on September 14, iPad 10.2 (2020) was announced on September 15 in the launch year, and iPad 10.2 (2019 ) on 12 September. You will probably notice a pattern here.
They were all announced around mid-September, and for the past two years, they were also announced on a Tuesday, so if we were to be more specific, we would guess that the new iPad 2022 will be announced on Tuesday, September 13, 2022.
The time between advertising and availability is more variable, but it’s unlikely to be more than a few weeks, so we think the new iPad 2022 would hit stores before the end of September 2022 and possibly even before for a few days after its promulgation.
As for the price, the iPad 10.2 (2021) starts at $ 329 / £ 319 / AU $ 499, and the iPad 10.2 (2020) had a similar starting price, so we think pretty much the same again is likely, but there is no news on that yet .
News and leaks
There is no news yet about the new iPad 2022, but one thing we can be pretty sure of is that it sticks with an LCD screen.
There was a suggestion that Apple might need to switch to OLED for the iPad Air 5, but recent reports suggest that is not happening, and in both ways, there was no mention that the basic iPad got this display technology.
There will probably be no significant changes to the front-facing camera either, as it only just had a major upgrade to the latest model.
However, the chipset will probably get better, as Apple will probably equip the new iPad 2022 with A14 Bionic from the iPhone 12 series based on previous form.
Two things that can go both ways are the design, which could possibly be modernized in line with all of Apple’s other iPad series, and 5G, which may or may not be included. We would think it will happen in 2022, but the iPad Air 4 (2020) does not have 5G either, so Apple can add it to the iPad Air 5, but leave it from the basic iPad for another year.
What we want to see
To make the new iPad 2022 as good as possible, we want it to have the following things.
1. Face ID
The lack of Face ID on the new iPad 10.2 (2021) is not overly surprising, as Apple is currently reserving this technology for the iPad Pro series. But over in iPhone country, it is pretty much now a standard feature and has been for years, so we would also like to see the company make it standard on iPads.
We don’t particularly expect the new iPad 2022 to get Face ID, as it will likely be the last in line with the iPad Air and iPad mini series likely to get it first, but that would be nice to see.
This technology has been around for so long that it no longer feels like it should be a premium feature, so Apple, do not hold it back.
2. A modern design
The basic iPad series is now alone in being the only tablet series from Apple that does not feature a modern design with smaller edges and no home button, even with the iPad mini (2021) has this look.
Instead, you are stuck with a very dated and relatively inexpensive look on the iPad 10.2 (2021), and this is one that we would like to look away with on the new iPad 2022.
3. Support for newer accessories
The iPad 10.2 (2021) supports the original Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard, but it lacks support for the Apple Pencil 2 and Magic Keyboard, making it less good at both typing and sketching than it could be – or than other Apple tablets are.
It shouldn’t be hard to support this accessory, and we wouldn’t think they would add much to Apple’s costs, so there’s really no reason to block the iPad 2022 for them.
4. Recalibration of speakers
The iPad 10.2 (2021) does not have bad speakers, but unlike the iPad mini (2021) and iPad Air 4, they are not recalibrated based on the direction of the tablet.
With one of these tablets you get the best out of the speakers, whether you use slate in portrait or landscape direction, but not here. Hopefully Apple fixes it for the next model.
5. 128 GB base size
With the iPad 10.2 (2021), Apple upgraded the base storage size from the pathetically small 32 GB iPad 10.2 (2020) to a still rather small 64 GB.
We know this is a cheap slate, so the company wants to keep costs down as much as possible, but 64 GB is just a barely acceptable amount of storage space in 2021, let alone 2022, when the next model is expected. So we will see the new iPad 2022 start with 128 GB of storage space, especially since there is no microSD card slot.