A cheaper 9.7-inch iPad could be released in 2018 costing less than $300

Apple released a 9.7-inch iPad dubbed the iPad 5th generation in 2017 for an amazing price tag and looking at how the popularity of the tablet must have surged, the company has been rumored to release a successor for 2018. According to sources via DigiTimes, the new iPad model is expected to be priced around $259 for the base storage version.

“Apple is considering a new inexpensive 9.7-inch iPad priced at around US$259 for 2018, according to sources from related upstream suppliers, which added that the device should be able to attract more demand from price-oriented consumers, allowing Apple to maintain its present 10 million-unit tablet shipments a quarter.

With the new device, the sources expect the tablet market to witness a new wave of price competition among first-tier players including Samsung Electronics, Amazon, Huawei and Lenovo.”

Apple currently holds the biggest market share in tablets, and thanks to the hardware and software integration, the company’s iPad lineup is terrific for media consumption as it delivers astounding battery life. At the same time, the cheaper price tag means that lots of buyers will be able to get their hands on them and enjoy software updates for a significantly longer period.

As for the internals, the iPad coming in 2018 might not feature an A11 Bionic chipset like the ones present in the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X. Instead, it could feature the A10 Fusion that was present on last year’s iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.

There is also not going to be an OLED model from this particular version because that would result in costing the company a lot more, and Apple has never been about that.

Instead, there are going to be a few comprises, but a lot of advantages about the slate as well. One of them is that you’re getting a decently spec’d machine for a very small asking price.

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