Apple's Next iPad Pro Could Gain iPhone X TrueDepth Face ID Camera

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We're still a little less than three weeks away from the commercial launch of the iPhone X, but the rumor mill is already stirring the pot when it comes to Apple's next product release. In this case, one famed Apple analyst claims to have the inside scoop on the next generation iPad Pro family.

According to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the 10.5- and 12.9-inch iPad Pro tablets that will launch next year will feature the TrueDepth camera system that is one of the headlining features of the iPhone X. The TrueDepth camera system includes an infrared camera, flood illuminator and dot projector to enable the Face ID facial recognition system. This allows you to unlock your iPhone X just by looking at it, and does away with the venerable Touch ID fingerprint authentication system. TrueDepth also powers Apple's Animoji (animated emoji) system for iMessage.

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There is no word on whether the 2018 iPad Pro models will completely ditch the home button -- like the iPhone X -- to reduce the size of the display bezels, or if the TrueDepth camera system will just serve as an alternative to Touch ID.

According to Kuo, Apple is looking to quickly spread TrueDepth throughout the iOS family to jumpstart developer interest -- just as it did with the proliferation of Touch ID across the iPhone and iPad Pro product families.

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Although it's too early to know what else Apple has in store for the 2018 iPad Pro, it seems certain that the tablets will be packing a variant of the ultra-powerful A11 Bionic processor found in the iPhone X.

Brandon Hill

Brandon Hill

Brandon received his first PC, an IBM Aptiva 310, in 1994 and hasn’t looked back since. He cut his teeth on computer building/repair working at a mom and pop computer shop as a plucky teen in the mid 90s and went on to join AnandTech as the Senior News Editor in 1999. Brandon would later help to form DailyTech where he served as Editor-in-Chief from 2008 until 2014. Brandon is a tech geek at heart, and family members always know where to turn when they need free tech support. When he isn’t writing about the tech hardware or studying up on the latest in mobile gadgets, you’ll find him browsing forums that cater to his long-running passion: automobiles.

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