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Upcoming iPad Pro 10.9 and 12.9 models tipped to be thicker, bezel-less, and without a home key

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By Daniel Petrov

Updated: Nov 29, 2016, 7:54 AM

Upcoming iPad Pro 10.9 and 12.9 models tipped to be thicker, bezel-less, and without a home key

Stop the presses! The future iPads may be thicker than the current iPads, according to Macotakara, a Japanese Apple-centric blog that has called many movers and shakers in Apple's production line before. They cite supply chain sources from Taiwan which claim that the upcoming iPad Pro 2, or whatever Apple calls it, is apparently tested in a prototype form that is 0.3mm thicker than the current 6.9mm iPad Pro.

Not that anyone would feel such a small difference, but it is still somewhat of a departure from issuing thinner and thinner tablets with each generation. The thin game was getting stale anyway, current phones and tablets are already anorexic enough, so it's high time that a line be drawn, and the focus is moved to something else.

That something else for Apple might be a bezel-less iPad Pro 10.9, which would eventually come to replace the current Pro 9.7, and fit a larger display in the same footprint. That one is allegedly going to be 7.5mm thick, like the original iPad Air, which means it will be thicker than its predecessor. According to insiders, the new iPad Pro 10.9 (previously rumored to have a 10.5" display) has no home button, and is just frame on the sides, with no meaningful bezel width to grip on, save for the top where the FaceTime camera is.

The new iPad Pro 2, on the other hand, is also said to sport bezel-less design on the sides, apart from the top, while Apple's iconic home button might be gone for good there, too, claims the source. Let's not forget that Apple is rumored to employ under-glass home key in the upcoming iPhone 8 as well, so the new iPads, which could be announced in the spring, might be a harbinger of things to come.

source: Macotakara (translated) via AppleInsider

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Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena from 2010 to 2025, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.