The next iteration of the iPad Pro, often referred to as the iPad Pro 2 until officially unveiled, is reportedly reducing its bezel and removing the traditional Home button. Instead, the Home button may be placed underneath the display.
Removing the physical Home button on the 10.9-inch iPad Pro will allow the screen to have the same footprint as the 9.7-inch model, leaving only a few centimeters for the bezel, Makotakara reported, as cited by The Verge. It is further noted that this type of design is already making its way into several smartphones.
By removing the Home button the display can be properly increased to take advantage of the additional real estate on the iPad Pro's body. The whole front face of the iPad Pro 2 would become one seamless display. This would optimize the screen space for viewing, taking photos and playing apps such as games and photo editing software.
However, reducing the bezel and placing several key face buttons underneath the display will make the iPad thicker than the currently available iterations. By including the necessary hardware for the Apple Pencil and the battery the next iPad Pro is stated to be 7.5 millimeters thick, just as thick as the 2013 iPad Air.
The exact size of the iPad Pro 2 is still uncertain. It is noted that the Japanese insiders previously estimated it will be 10.1-inches but now the estimate is 10.9-inches. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo stated the iPad Pro 2 is likely to be 10.5-inches. Apple has yet to confirm if any of these sizes are accurate.
No official release date has yet been announced but according to a report from Inferse the iPad Pro 2 is expected to launch in early 2017.
This would place it during Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) event and would make the iPad Pro 2 the first Apple device to not feature a traditional Home button. It would launch even earlier than the iPhone 8, which is not expected to release until Fall 2017.
It is important to note that Apple has not made any official comments regarding this rumored design choice and consumers should still take it with a grain of salt.