This Year’s iPad Pro Could Get a Landscape Camera

In late 2022, Apple surprised everyone with an entry-level iPad that adopted the new design language of its more premium iPad Air and iPad Pro while also moving the FaceTime camera to the long edge. Now, it looks like the company could be set to do the same with this year’s new iPad Pro lineup.

That was a significant change after 12 years of putting the camera on the short edge — the “top” of the screen when held in portrait. It was even more unusual to see it come to Apple’s entry-level iPad first.

After all, while the new MacBook-style camera position makes a lot of sense for folks who regularly engage in Zoom and FaceTime calls, it also felt like a change that would have been a much better fit on the more premium iPad Pro. With its Magic Keyboard and other similar accessories, it’s long been considered more of a laptop replacement, and, as anyone who has ever tried to participate in a video call on it will tell you, the camera position has always been a bit awkward.

Still, Apple’s decision to switch things up on the entry-level iPad was somewhat understandable. The company may have wanted to trial the change before bringing it to its more expensive models, but more significantly, it also had to deal with the Apple Pencil charger that occupies the same space.

That wasn’t a problem for the 10th-generation iPad since it lacked the magnetic charger and support for the second-generation Apple Pencil. Instead, users were forced to use the older, first-generation Apple Pencil with the Lightning connector and an awkward adapter to charge from the new iPad’s USB-C port. Thankfully, Apple rectified that last fall with a new USB-C Apple Pencil.

Although it’s unclear how Apple plans to deal with magnetic charging for the Apple Pencil, code in the first betas of iPadOS 17.4 suggests that it’s preparing for an iPad Pro that will move the camera to the long edge for use in landscape mode.

The references were uncovered by the code sleuths at 9to5Mac, who found specific system strings that say things like “Face ID needs to be in landscape to learn how to recognize you,” and “During Face ID setup, iPad needs to be in landscape with the camera at the top of the screen. Once setup is complete, Face ID works in portrait and landscape.”

Since only the iPad Pro supports Face ID, that’s a pretty strong sign that this refers to the next-generation OLED iPad Pro expected to be released this spring.

Whether Apple will have room for the Apple Pencil on the side in this configuration is another matter. Still, the company could just as easily choose to swap the positions of the magnetic charger and the TrueDepth camera, letting users place the stylus on the short edge to charge instead. Some reports have also suggested that the iPad Pro could gain MagSafe technology, which could change the charging dynamic entirely.

Apple is also expected to release new iPad Air models around the same time, adding a new 12.9-inch version to the lineup. Purported CAD renders of the new iPad Air show the front camera in the same position as the current iPad Air. While it would be unusual for Apple to move the camera on the iPad Pro and leave the new iPad Air models as the odd ducks in the lineup, it’s certainly not out of the question. However, it’s also possible the iPad Air renders may not be entirely accurate.

[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]