Smart Connector
Perhaps the most interesting addition to the seventh-gen iPad is Apple’s Smart Connector — something that was exclusive to Apple’s iPad Pro lineup until it came to the iPad Air earlier this year. Apple now clearly feels that there’s value in making it a universal feature across all current iPads, although few accessory makers other than Apple and Logitech have ever really embraced it.
The Smart Connector here is on the left/bottom edge of the iPad, in the same place as the iPad Air and prior, non-Face ID, iPad Pros. This means that existing Smart Connector accessories will work with the new iPad, such as Apple’s Smart Keyboard and the ones that Logitech still offers. The new iPad should also support Logitech’s Base charging station, which also uses the Smart Connector to dock and recharge the iPad. That said, older Smart Connector keyboard cases won’t work with the new iPad because of the size change; Apple’s own Smart Keyboard works as a cover, rather than a folio, however, so it will be fully compatible, but it might actually be the only one.