Following the recent release of the new iPad mini and the dual-screen iPhone Duo, Apple is slated to refresh the remainder of its tablet lineup early next year, according to reporting by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. The planned updates cover the entry-level iPad, the mid-range iPad Air, and the high-end iPad Pro, bringing architecture and display enhancements across all price tiers.
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The standard entry-level iPad is expected to gain native access to Apple Intelligence features for the first time. This will be powered by an upgrade to the A19 processor paired with 8GB of RAM. Connectivity on the base tablet will also see a bump via Apple’s proprietary N1 wireless silicon and C1X modem, bringing Wi-Fi 7 compatibility, sub-6 GHz 5G support, faster data throughput, and improved power efficiency.
Simultaneously, the iPad Air is set to adopt an OLED screen matching the updated display technology introduced on the iPad mini, alongside standard generational processor updates.
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To accommodate next-generation silicon, moving beyond the current M5 chip to a prospective M6 or M7 processor, the upcoming iPad Pro will reportedly feature a dedicated vapor chamber cooling system. The internal thermal redesign is designed to prevent performance throttling during sustained, compute-heavy artificial intelligence workloads and advanced graphical tasks.
The upcoming tablet launches arrive as Apple continues to navigate internal competition across its hardware portfolio. With form factors like the foldable iPhone Duo, rumoured touchscreen MacBook Pro configurations, and smart displays such as the HomeView encroaching on traditional tablet use cases, hardware distinction remains critical. However, with annual sales holding steady at approximately 60 million units, the iPad line remains a core driver of Apple’s consumer revenue.
