I think that this iPad might get:
- A13/A14
• It would seem obvious that, as the 8th and 9th gen had an upgrade, this iPad would get A14. But considering that “base” iPhone 14 is stuck with A15, and that Apple still has A13 in new products as the Studio Display, this one is also a possibility.
• If a radical redesign happens, it would be a great excuse for not upgrading the chip.
- 4 GB RAM
• If keeping A13, they would need to upgrade the RAM in the same way the 7th gen (that kept the same A10 as 6th gen) got 3 GB RAM
• If upgrading to A14, I doubt it would work with 3 GB since no iPhone with it had less than 4 and it would be weird to pair a 5nm chip with 3 GB
- Larger Display
• There are no real evidences of this, but just think about it. The current design looks really dated (more than iPhone SE in my opinion), and it was very disappointing that the iPad 9 did anything with this
• 10.5” would be an easy way to recicle the Pro 10.5” / Air 3 front. What’s more uncertain to me is if this iPad will be finally getting the laminated display.
- Improved Wireless Connections (WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.0/5.3)
• Now that iPhone and AirPods Pro got BT 5.3, iPad Pro is getting it for sure. So it's time for the whole iPad lineup to have at least BT 5.0. And I wouldn’t be surprised if 5.3 makes its way to this iPad just as it got Center Stage camera before iPad Air.
- 5G?
This would have to be paired with the A14 upgrade. But even if it gets A14, 5G is not guaranteed as it could use the same connectivity as iPad Air 4 (which had 4G).
- Redesign
Changes in the design could be:
• 10.5” reused design (with laminated display or not)
• 10.5” (approx.) new design: could probably integrate flat edges and landscape speakers
• 10.8” or 10.9”: same chassis as the current Air and Pro of that size, so it’s able to fit the same accessories. If this possibility happens we should expect this as only change in the entire iPad alongside RAM
- USB-C?
Maybe it comes next year to be paired with the iPhone transition. Would absolutely need the flat edges design.