It’s arduous to consider, however the iPad Air is now over a decade outdated.
That authentic mannequin launched again in November 2013, and have become the costly iPad ever on the time. It’s lengthy since been changed by the iPad Professional on the high of Apple’s pill vary, however acts as a center floor between it and the common iPad.
The following era of the iPad Air would be the sixth, and there are many rumours concerning what to anticipate. Right here’s every thing you should find out about its potential launch date, pricing and key specs.
When will the brand new iPad Air be launched?
The iPad Air was rumoured to be introduced at Apple’s October 2023 occasion, however that by no means materialised.
In line with Mark Gurman, Apple has gone into manufacturing of the subsequent era of iPad Air, iPad Professional and the MacBook Air in anticipation of a late March launch. That aligns with the subsequent Apple occasion anticipated in spring 2024.
Ross Younger additionally claims in his tweet that shipments of show panels for a brand new 12.9-inch iPad Air commenced in December, suggesting a spring launch.
Ming-Chi Kuo additionally prompt a brand new iPad hair was coming within the first quarter of 2024, so someday between now and the tip of March.
Apple held comparable occasions in April 2021 and March 2022, however skipped 2023. For context, right here’s when latest iterations of the iPad Air arrived:
- fifth era: March 2022
- 4th era: September 2020
- third era: March 2019
How a lot will the brand new iPad Air price?
Pricing is often one of many final issues to be revealed a couple of new product, so it’s no shock that there’s no information but.
For reference, right here’s how a lot the present iPad Air vary prices:
- iPad Air (64GB, Wi-Fi): £569/$599
- iPad Air (256GB, Wi-Fi): £719/$749
- iPad Air (64GB, Wi-Fi & Mobile): £719/$749
- iPad Air (256GB, Wi-Fi & Mobile): £869/$899
It’s tough to foretell whether or not Apple will improve the costs on the subsequent era. If the rumoured upgrades to the show grow to be true, it’s very doable.
However the iPad Air represents the center floor between the $449/£499 common iPad and $1,099/£1,249 iPad Professional, and that’s unlikely to alter anytime quickly.
For extra alternate options, see our information to one of the best iPads.
What specs and options will the brand new iPad Air have?
The following iPad Air most likely isn’t distant, and we have already got a tough thought of what to anticipate.
Design
The upcoming iPad Air mannequin isn’t anticipated to function minimal design modifications, resembling carefully its predecessor.
Nevertheless, new color choices are probably, although it’s not clear if it’ll match the colourful tones of the Tenth-generation iPad or the extra muted palette of the iPhone 15.
Show
The large hearsay up to now issues the iPad Air’s show. In line with DigiTimes (by way of Forbes), the subsequent Air might be accessible with a 12.9-inch show.
In November 2023, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo (who has a powerful status for Apple information) acknowledged that the iPad Air line could be divided into a ten.9-inch and a brand new 12.9-inch mannequin. A later tweet from leaker Ross Young seems to substantiate this info.
A 9to5Mac report is one other supply stating that Apple is contemplating introducing both a bigger model of the iPad Air or a higher-priced mannequin with improved specs. This hypothesis stems from the presence of two codenames linked to the brand new iPad Air: J507 and J508.
In line with sources shut 9to5Mac, the bigger iPad Air is predicted to have dimensions of 280.6 mm x 214.9 mm x 6.0 mm, indicating that the display measurement may even be very comparable. However it’s unlikely that the smaller iPad Air will bear vital design alterations.
That may match what we see on the bigger model of the present iPad Professional, and be a major improve in comparison with the ten.9-inch 2022 iPad Air.
Nevertheless, it doesn’t seem like the iPad Professional’s mini-LED display might be making its approach to the Air. Forbes says it’ll most likely stick to the LCD panels we see at present, and there’s no phrase on the next refresh charge than 60Hz.
In line with Ming-Chi Kuo, “the 12.9-inch iPad Air is an all-new mannequin, and whereas it lacks Mini-LED, it advantages from an Oxide backplane (the identical spec as the present miniLED iPad Professionals), providing higher show efficiency than the ten.9-inch iPad Air with an a-Si backplane.”
An Omdia report additionally suggests Apple might shift to OLED shows in some unspecified time in the future, but it surely’s unlikely to be within the 2024 iPad Air.
Efficiency
A brand new processor is one factor we could be nearly sure about. In line with standard leaker Revegnus, it’ll use Apple’s M2 chipset:
Mark Gurman at Bloomberg additionally stories that Apple’s intention is certainly to equip the iPad Air with an M2 chip.
That may make sense, given the M3 chips are extensively official and M1 powers the 2022 iPad Air. Apple will most likely restrict M3 to the iPad Professional, no less than for now.
Apple now affords a baseline 128GB storage on the iPhone, however iPads nonetheless begin at 64GB, until it’s a Professional mannequin.
The brand new iPad Air will most likely function 128GB, although, making it a viable possibility with out the necessity for a pricier 256GB mannequin. Anticipate pricier variations with extra storage to even be accessible.
Cameras
MacRumors additionally thinks we could possibly be getting upgrades to the entrance and rear cameras, with each {hardware} and software program enhancements doable.
Nevertheless, it’s not clear what number of modifications there’ll truly be to the present 12Mp rear and 12Mp front-facing lenses.
Whereas we watch for extra information, it’s value studying our evaluate of the most recent iPad Air to see whether or not it’s value shopping for. You might also be occupied with extra of one of the best iPads and greatest tablets round.