Next iPad Air Could Feature a USB-C Port Instead of a Lightning Port

The fourth-generation iPad Air may be equipped with a USB-C port instead of a Lightning port, according to a new report from Japanese site Mac Otakara that says the information comes from a Chinese supplier.

ipadairgold
Apple transitioned to USB-C for its iPad Pro models in 2018, but other iPads have continued to feature a Lightning port for charging purposes. Mac Otakara says that the new ‌iPad Air‌ will be based on the 11-inch ‌iPad Pro‌, which is in line with prior rumors that we've heard.

Rumors earlier this year suggested that Apple is working on an 11-inch ‌iPad Air‌, which could launch in the second half of 2020. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo recently said that Apple is working on a 10.8-inch iPad, and while he didn't say it was an "Air" model, it fits in with other rumors about a new ‌iPad Air‌.

One rumor from leaker L0vetodream has indicated the upcoming ‌iPad Air‌ could feature a mini-LED display with an under-display version of Touch ID instead of Face ID, but it remains to be seen if that info will turn out to be accurate as it hasn't yet been backed up with a second source.

‌Mac Otakara‌ also mentions the upcoming iPad mini, which Kuo previously said would measure in at 8.5 to 9 inches. This new ‌iPad mini‌, coming in 2021, is expected to continue to feature a Lightning port rather than a USB-C port.

Related Roundups: iPad Air , iPad mini
Related Forum: iPad

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Sunday March 23, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
Generic iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Coming Soon With These New Features for Your iPhone

Tuesday March 25, 2025 6:45 am PDT by
Apple is expected to release iOS 18.4 to the general public as soon as next week, following more than a month of beta testing. Apple's website says some iOS 18.4 features will be released in "early April," so the update should be out as early as Tuesday, April 1. Apple this week seeded the iOS 18.4 Release Candidate, which is typically the final beta version, barring the discovery of any...
ios 19 messages app

Here's What Apple's iOS 19 Messages App Might Look Like

Tuesday March 25, 2025 11:52 am PDT by
Leaker Jon Prosser today shared a mockup of what he says the Messages app will look like in iOS 19, demoing an interface with rounded, translucent bubble-shaped navigation buttons at the top and softer, rounder corners for the keyboard and word suggestions. Jon Prosser's Messages app mockup The return button, a button for going back to the Messages list, and the FaceTime button have a deeper...
iCloud General Feature Redux

iPhone Users Who Pay for iCloud Storage Receive a New Perk

Thursday March 20, 2025 12:01 am PDT by
If you pay for iCloud storage on your iPhone, Apple has a new perk for you, at no additional cost. The new perk is the ability to create invitations in the Apple Invites app for the iPhone, which launched in the App Store last month. In the Apple Invites app, iCloud+ subscribers can create invitations for any occasion, such as birthday parties, graduations, baby showers, and more. Anyone ...
airpods max 2024 colors

Don't Buy Into Apple's Hype About AirPods Max Gaining Lossless Audio

Monday March 24, 2025 4:24 pm PDT by
Apple today announced that AirPods Max with a USB-C port will be gaining support for lossless audio and ultra-low latency audio with a firmware update next month, alongside the release of iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, and macOS 15.4. For context, audio files are typically compressed to keep file sizes smaller. There are lossy compression standards like MP3 and AAC (Advanced Audio Codec), which...
Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock

Gurman: Jon Prosser's iOS 19 Mockups 'Aren't Representative' of Redesign

Tuesday March 25, 2025 4:47 pm PDT by
The iOS 19 mockup images that leaker Jon Prosser shared today are not representative of the actual iOS 19 design, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said on social media. According to Gurman, the images that are "floating around" are based on "very old builds" or "vague descriptions," and are lacking key features. Gurman says that we can "expect more from Apple in June." Gurman made the same comment ...
Apple Lumon Terminal Pro

Apple's Mac Site Features Fictional 'Lumon Terminal Pro'

Wednesday March 26, 2025 12:19 pm PDT by
Apple is going all out with promotions for the popular Severance Apple TV+ show today, and as of right now, you'll find a new "Lumon Terminal Pro" listed on Apple's Mac site. The Lumon Terminal Pro is designed to look similar to the machines that Severance employees like Mark S. and Helly R. use for macrodata refinement. The Terminal features a blue keyboard, a small display with wide...
Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock Light

iOS 19 Again Rumored to Feature visionOS-Like 'Glassy' Design

Tuesday March 25, 2025 3:25 pm PDT by
Leaker Jon Prosser today shared a "first look" at Apple's upcoming iOS 19 update, providing mockups of what different apps and features will supposedly look like. Prosser claims the mockups are based on "the real deal" version of iOS 19 that he has seen, but says he is sharing replica images in order to prevent his sources from getting into trouble. Confusingly, Prosser's video features some ...

Top Rated Comments

pdaholic Avatar
63 months ago
Add usb-c to the iPhones and lets dump the lightening connector altogether!
Score: 42 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Howyalikdemapls Avatar
63 months ago
Why don’t they make all their devices use the same connector? It seems odd to have some iPads use USB-C and some use lightning, no?
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dwaltwhit Avatar
63 months ago
30 pin lasted 9 years. Lightning is getting close to that. It will be nice to move away from proprietary.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jimthing Avatar
63 months ago
Mini should be:
• USB-C.
• Pencil 2 support.
• Face ID.
• bezel-less screen (at larger ~9" screen size).

Anything else is Apple beings d¡cks to customers, at this point.


Clearly Apple must be blind to the needs of their customers if they don't realise many will also own a larger iPad Pro using USB-C already (or any new Mac, for that matter), so we can use the same cable on the Mini. It's so bleeding obvious, does it actually need explaining at this point. Keeping Lightning would just be a kick in the teeth to multi-device users (most people in the year 2020).

There's always 'legacy' to move on from, so staying with Lightning for yet another generation just prolongs the agony of an eventual swap later.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ian87w Avatar
63 months ago

Why don’t they make all their devices use the same connector? It seems odd to have some iPads use USB-C and some use lightning, no?
It seems odd at first, but imo Apple is pushing the iPad Pros to be real computer replacements, and as such USB-C would feel more natural to connect to peripherals.

Although the loss of headphone jack is weird.

Now that I mentioned it, I don't want this to happen if it means losing the headphone jack. It makes sense on the iPhone, due to constrained space and water proofing. The iPad has plenty of room and no IP rating, so removing headphone jack just because of USB-C is not cool imo.


The Air is expected to have an 11-inch LCD and in-display Touch ID. Makes sense it would have USB-C so it can share most of the current iPad Pro accessories.
It would be really sad if such large device doesn't have a headphone jack.... :(
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
yurc Avatar
63 months ago
Almost every 2020 device have type-c as international standard. Any device at this moment which keep proprietary connector are sacrilegious enough.

Also, lightning ports still in USB 2.0 speed, nullifying advancements of high speeds newer USB technology, less supported protocol. Lightning was superior back then compared with retarded micro-USB, but with type C there’s was no reason to keep lightning anymore. The only merit of lightning now is only have slimmer footprints than type c, the rest quite meh.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)