iPad Pro With A14X Chip, 5G, and Mini-LED Display Expected in First Half of 2021

Apple plans to launch new iPad Pro models with an A14X chip, 5G connectivity, and a Mini-LED display in the first or second quarter of 2021, according to the increasingly reliable Twitter account L0vetodream.

iPad Pro 5G and Mini LED feature
The leaker claims that the new iPad Pro models will be equipped with Qualcomm's Snapdragon X55 modem, which supports both mmWave and sub-6GHz. mmWave is a set of 5G frequencies that promise ultra-fast speeds at short distances, ideal for dense urban areas. By comparison, sub-6GHz 5G is generally slower than mmWave, but the signals travel further, better serving suburban and rural areas.



iPhone 12 models are also expected to use the X55 modem, but beyond that, Apple is reportedly developing its own 5G baseband technology for future devices. Apple acquired Intel's smartphone modem business last year to bolster that effort.

While multiple sources initially pointed towards a late 2020 refresh of the iPad Pro, including Ming-Chi Kuo and Jon Prosser, there have now been several reports indicating that the new A14X/5G/Mini-LED models are likely to debut in 2021. This would make sense given that Apple just refreshed the iPad Pro in March, and even though that was a relatively minor update, another refresh later this year would seem rather quick.

New features on the latest iPad Pro models include an A12Z Bionic chip that is very similar to the A12X chip, an Ultra Wide camera that enables 0.5x zoom, a LiDAR Scanner for enhanced augmented reality, and better sounding microphones.

L0vetodream accurately revealed several details about the new iPhone SE before any other leakers that we know of, including that the device would launch in the second week of April and come in three storage capacities. Likewise, the account accurately claimed that new iPad Pro models would launch in the third week of March.

Related Roundup: iPad Pro
Buyer's Guide: iPad Pro (Neutral)

Popular Stories

Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock Light

iOS 19 Leak Reveals All-New Design

Friday January 17, 2025 2:42 pm PST by
iOS 19 is still around six months away from being announced, but a new leak has allegedly revealed a completely redesigned Camera app. Based on footage it obtained, YouTube channel Front Page Tech shared a video showing what the new Camera app will apparently look like, with the key change being translucent menus for camera controls. Overall, the design of these menus looks similar to...
2024 App Store Awards

Apple Explains Why It Removed TikTok From the App Store in the U.S.

Sunday January 19, 2025 6:58 am PST by
Apple on late Saturday removed TikTok from the App Store in the U.S., and it has now explained why it was required to take this action. Last year, the U.S. passed a law that required Chinese company ByteDance to divest its ownership of TikTok due to potential national security risks, or else the platform would be banned. That law went into effect today, and companies like Apple and Google...
iPhone 17 Air Size Feature

'iPhone 17 Air' With Rear Camera Bar Allegedly Shown in Leaked Photo

Tuesday January 21, 2025 12:46 pm PST by
A leaker known as "Majin Bu" today shared an alleged image of a component for the rumored, ultra-thin "iPhone 17 Air" model. The blurry, pixelated image shows a pair of rear iPhone shells with a pill-shaped, raised camera bar along the top. On the left side of the bar, there is a circular cutout that appears to be for a single rear camera. On the right side of the bar, there appears to be an ...
iPhone SE Dynamic Island Majin Bu

iPhone SE 4 Leak Shows Dynamic Island, Casts Doubt on Rumored 'iPhone 16E' Name

Monday January 20, 2025 9:01 am PST by
A new iPhone SE is widely rumored to launch this year, and the device has potentially been confirmed today by known leaker Evan Blass. In a private social media post, Blass shared an image of what appears to be source code mentioning an iPhone SE (4th Gen), which casts doubt on the alternative "iPhone 16E" name rumored for the device. However, the name in the source code could be a...
airtag 4 pack blue

AirTag 2 Launching This Year With These 3 New Features

Sunday January 19, 2025 8:11 am PST by
After a four-year wait, a new AirTag is finally expected to launch in 2025. Below, we recap rumored upgrades for the accessory. A few months ago, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple was aiming to release the AirTag 2 around the middle of 2025. While he did not offer a more specific timeframe, that means the AirTag 2 could be announced by the end of June. The original AirTag was announced...
iOS 19 Roundup Feature

iOS 19 Rumored to Be Compatible With These iPhones

Saturday January 18, 2025 10:28 am PST by
iOS 19 will not drop support for any iPhone models, according to French website iPhoneSoft.fr. The report cited a source who said iOS 19 will be compatible with any iPhone that can run iOS 18, which would mean the following models: iPhone 16 iPhone 16 Plus iPhone 16 Pro iPhone 16 Pro Max iPhone 15 iPhone 15 Plus iPhone 15 Pro iPhone 15 Pro Max iPhone 14 iPhon...
apple power beats pro 2

Powerbeats Pro 2 Coming Soon: Apple to Announce Them 'Imminently'

Sunday January 19, 2025 8:25 am PST by
In September, Apple said that it would be launching Powerbeats Pro 2 in 2025, and it appears the wireless earbuds are coming very soon. Powerbeats Pro 2 images found in iOS 18 code In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the Powerbeats Pro 2 are "due imminently." In addition to Apple filing the Powerbeats Pro 2 in regulatory databases last month, Gurman said Apple is...
Generic iOS 18

Everything New in iOS 18.3 Beta 3

Thursday January 16, 2025 12:39 pm PST by
Apple provided the third beta of iOS 18.3 to developers today, and while the betas have so far been light on new features, the third beta makes some major changes to Notification Summaries and also tweaks a few other features. Notification Summary Changes Apple made multiple changes to Notification Summaries in response to complaints about inaccurate summaries of news headlines. For...
ipad pro 2024

New iPad Pro Reportedly Launching This Year

Tuesday January 21, 2025 6:40 am PST by
Apple plans to release at least one new iPad Pro model this year, according to a supplier-focused report today from Korean website The Elec. It is likely that the 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Pro models would be updated simultaneously. After receiving an OLED display last year, the report said the iPad Pro will receive only "minor" changes this year. Overall, the next iPad Pro is expected to...

Top Rated Comments

44267547 Avatar
61 months ago
Which basically debunks OLED Ever being a consideration for the iPad with mini LED being the next step forward. (Which is totally fine.) The 5G aspect doesn’t interest me, the performance and display improvements however does.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jclardy Avatar
61 months ago

Which basically debunks OLED Ever being a consideration for the iPad with mini LED being the next step forward. (Which is totally fine.) The 5G aspect doesn’t interest me, the performance and display improvements however does.
Glad they didn't go OLED - the way I use my iPad would have made for some crazy burn-in. My screen time each day is 8-9 hours since I use it as a secondary display for my Mac, and other times just leave email/slack open on it with the display set to auto-off after 10 minutes.

I really don't see why anyone would want OLED on a tablet or laptop, sure the colors are great and the black levels are perfect, but for anything other than movies/tv, why does that matter?
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BuffaloTF Avatar
61 months ago

They can’t even launch MiniLED for the tiny Apple Watch yet somehow they are already gonna include it in the iPad and maybe the MacBook?

I am still doubting it. Just look how long it took Apple to release an OLED iPhone which did not even make it on its whole line up yet
Mini LED and Micro LED are totally different things.

Micro LED isn't anywhere near ready for prime time. Mini LED exists today - it's a form of full-array local dimming, and uses smaller LED lights behind the screen to form lighting zones -- hundreds up to around a thousand for bigger TVs, an Apple Watch is so small there'd be like 4 zones. Micro LED is an LED behind every single LCD pixel and what is expected to replace OLED...
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Scottsoapbox Avatar
61 months ago
Still waiting for a software reason to update my older iPad Pro.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macfan90 Avatar
61 months ago
bump the ram, better graphics, slim the bezels
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GeoStructural Avatar
61 months ago

This would be a big refresh. I'd probably jump in and retire my 5th gen iPad.

I'm really wondering what Apple will do when they manage to integrate the modem into their processors, will they dump the 2 versions (wifi vs. cellular) and make all iPads cellular enabled? Or will they have a software block to disable the modem on some models?
I would not be surprised if they disable it with software. I still don’t think it is worth paying extra $150 for the celular connectivity in the current line up.



bump the ram, better graphics, slim the bezels
Exactly! I could not care less for 5G, all I want is for the bezels to shrink, better CPU/GPU/RAM, and larger base storage options. I would like for them to bring back the headphone jack as well.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)