iPad Pro 3 2018 release date, specs rumors: Next-gen tablet featuring the iPhone X design to launch at WWDC this June

Official render of the current generation of iPad ProApple official website

Shortly after the release of iPhone X last year, reports have surfaced that the next generation of Apple's iPad Pro lineup will copy the design and features of the current flagship smartphone. Now, another tech analyst has backed up the idea of the iPad Pro 3 arriving in the second quarter of 2018 with the iPhone X's all-screen display with slimmer bezels and the signature notch area on the top display.

MacRumors has reported that the iPad Pro 3 2018 is more likely to highlight the iPhone X's Face ID. That is according to the latest research notes of Rosenblatt Securities' Jun Zhang. He predicts that the next-gen iPad Pro will have slimmer bezels to achieve an almost full view front display. The bezel area on the top and bottom portions will be further trimmed, and with this development, the home button will have to be removed as well.

It is likely that the iPhone X design of the iPad Pro 3 2018 will be featured on the 10.5-inch and 12.9-inch size variants of the premium tablet. However, Zhang did not mention much about the new iPad Pro's upgraded specs.

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo was the first to tip about Apple's plan to introduce the iPhone X design to the iPad Pro 2018 lineup. The first hint about the major overhaul of the iPad Pro build came from a line of code from an earlier iOS 11.3 beta update. The code appears to describe the upcoming iPad Pro refresh as the "modern iPad." This is similar to how Apple first introduced the iPhone X as the "modern iPhone," prior to its September 2017 launch.

As the iPad Pro 3 2018 appears to be following the lead of the iPhone X, the tablet could permanently replace the Touch ID method of unlocking the device and apps with the Face ID system. It is speculated that the all-new iPad Pro will be launched at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) scheduled on June 4 to 8 at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, California.