iOS 17.4 suggests Apple may introduce a landscape Face ID camera to iPad Pro

The iPad Pro 12.9 (2022) is Apple’s most high-end tablet, and yet in one way it’s a worse tablet than the entry-level iPad 10.9 (2022), as its front-facing camera is on the narrow edge, meaning it’s off to the side in landscape orientation – which is the orientation it will usually be in for video calls, or when a keyboard is attached.

That’s not ideal, but it’s something Apple might look to address with a future model, as 9to5Mac has seen code in internal iOS 17.4 beta files which suggests Apple has been working on a Face ID-enabled camera that would sit at the top when a tablet is in landscape orientation.

That Face ID element is notable because the iPad 10.9 (2022) – which is the only iPad to currently have a camera in that position – doesn’t have Face ID. So Apple has seemingly been working on this change for a different model.

Probably for the Pro The iPad Air line also doesn’t have Face ID, so while it’s possible that the next model will, the most likely conclusion is that Apple might change the position of the front-facing camera on the iPad Pro 2024, which almost certainly will have Face ID, since the current model does.

This would be a far more desirable position for the camera, since it would mean the camera is more centered on your face when the tablet is held in landscape orientation.

However, this change could come with challenges, as currently the Apple Pencil charger sits on the same edge that would need to be used for that camera (the other long edge wouldn’t work as that’s used for connecting keyboards). There may not be room for both the camera and the charger on that edge, so it’s possible that we’ll see a more drastic redesign.

That’s just speculation for now, and there’s no guarantee Apple will change the iPad Pro’s camera position anyway, but we might find out soon, as most leaks suggest we’ll see the iPad Pro 2024 early this year.