The popular KGI Securities analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo, claimed that Apple’s iPad Pro 2018 models would arrive with iPhone X’s signature feature, the 3D facial recognition technology. The analyst stated that the TrueDepth camera feature would be necessary for the Face ID, ensuring a more consistent experience across the tech firm’s top-end products, and widen 3D facial recognition’s reach to help developers.

Face ID is the facial recognition technology of Apple that lets a person unlock the iPhone X simply by staring at the mobile device. This is made possible partly by the 10th-year-anniversary smartphone’s TrueDepth camera feature.

The iPhone X has features, such as Attention Detection, to make sure that no one can unlock the handset by pointing it to the owner’s face while he/she is asleep.

MacRumors was the first to report the claims of the KGI Securities analyst. The publication site’s report says the TrueDepth cameras will be exclusive to the iPad Pro models and will not be available to the regular iPad variants. The Cupertino-based tech firm has been trying to differentiate the regular iPad models from the iPad Pro lineup and tech fans have already seen that in the accessories available for these iOS-powered gadgets. The Apple Pencil as well as the Smart Keyboard case are exclusive to the iPad Pro lineup and it now seems that next year onwards, the facial recognition technology will be another of those features that would not be available on the regular iPads.

Release date

Apple will likely announce the next round of iPad Pro tablets at the tech firm’s developer conference in May of next year, with a launch in June. Nonetheless, the iPad refresh schedule of Apple is not as consistent as the annual iPhone refresh, but a release in summer 2018 will be likely.

Aside from the iPad Pro 2018 models, Kuo also recently suggested that Android handset manufacturers have been looking at adding a similar Face ID feature to their 2018 smartphones, Gadgets 360 reported.

For the time being, it is unclear how long it will be before mobile devices outside Apple will have a 3D facial recognition technology.

Tablet with 7-nanometer node

Nevertheless, TMSC’s 7-nanometer node is expected to power Apple’s iPad Pro 2018, making the upcoming iPad Pro far more powerful compared to its predecessor. The tablet is also expected to arrive with a bezel-less design. However, the tech firm has yet to announce the official specs, features and release date of the device.