Apple is working on a new iPad Pro model with MagSafe wireless charging as well as reverse wireless charging capabilities that could allow it to charge other devices. The company is also working on a new iPad mini with thin bezels and no home button, which will launch later this year alongside a thinner base model iPad.
iPad Pro with wireless charging
As per Bloomberg, the new iPad Pro is expected to launch in 2022 and will feature a glass back to allow the wireless charging and reverse wireless charging functionality to work.
Current iPad Pro models feature an aluminum back and use USB-C wired charging. Ever since iPhone started supporting wireless charging, Apple has used a glass back to support the feature. Apple has been internally testing an iPad Pro model with a similar glass back, however, it is unknown if to see whether MagSafe on an iPad Pro would be faster than it is on an iPhone. An iPad Pro has a considerably larger battery than an iPhone 12 Pro Max, which means that slow charging 15W wireless would take a lot longer to completely charge the tablet’s battery.
Reverse wireless charging would mean that users could put their iPad Pro upside down and place an iPhone or AirPods Pro case on it to charge. Apple was rumored to have worked on such a feature internally for iPhones to allow AirPods and Apple Watches to charge, however, the feature was never officially launched.
New iPad and iPad mini
Apple is also working on a new regular iPad which will be thinner than previous models. The base model iPad is popular amongst education customers and will likely feature a processor bump to bring it up to speed. It was last updated in September 2020 alongside the iPad Air.
iPad mini has been waiting for an update since 2019 when it received support for a new Apple Pencil and a faster chip. Before that, it was updated in 2015. Apple is expected to remove the power button and introduce thinner bezels, making it more similar to the iPad Air than the regular iPad. The thinner bezels should mean that the display will increase to 8.4-inch. Apple will launch this new iPad mini later this year.
Apple is also exploring AirPower wireless charging tech to power multiple devices.
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