Apple could introduce USB-C and other significant upgrades to its next entry-level iPad

The new 10th-generation entry-level iPad may receive a significant upgrade from the current 9th-gen. According to a new report from 9to5Mac, Apple may replace the Lightning connector on its budget tablet with a USB-C.

If the rumor is true, this is great news since the cheapest iPad is the only one left in the line-up that is still using the Lightning connector. Apple introduced USB-C to the iPad Pro in 2018, the iPad Air in 2020, and the iPad mini in 2021.

USB-C is much better than Apple's Lightning connector. It offers faster transfer speeds and is an industry standard connector, meaning you can easily connect your iPad to other accessories, including external hard drives, card readers, and even audio interfaces. In comparison, Apple's Lightning connector is based on USB 2.0, which is slower than USB-C, and can only connect to devices that support MFi Lightning. For devices with USB-C, it needs adapters.

Another rumored feature that the next-generation entry-level iPad could have is a larger and better screen. According to the report, the display could grow to a diagonal of up to 10.5 or even 10.9 inches. It is also stated that the 10th-gen iPad will have the exact same resolution as the display of the iPad Air.

Given how Apple insists on keeping the Retina screens of its iPads dialed to a pixel-per-inch density of exactly 264, having the same resolution means that the base iPad will have the exact same screen size as the iPad Air (2022) — 10.9 inches. At least that’s the conclusion we can make based on this 9to5Mac report.

The 10th-gen iPad may also come with the A14 Bionic chip, found in the iPad Air (2020), which, compared with the current A13 silicon, should increase performance by around 30%. Also, the next-gen iPad will probably support 5G and could have Bluetooth 5.0 and Wi-Fi 6 connectivity.

Currently, we don't know if Apple will change the design of the new 10th-gen iPad. Since it's the budget version, Apple has thus far kept the old-fashioned look, with the bezels and the home button. But, a larger and better screen with a different port suggests that Cupertino would also need a new, refreshed design for its next tablet, so we are really hoping to see that when Apple reveals its 10th-gen iPad.

As for the price, well, the LTE version of the 9th-gen started at $460, and the Wi-Fi-only model started at $329. We expect similar prices for the next-generation iPad as well.