iPad Air 2026: All the Rumors

Several iPads are slated to get updates successful 2026, including the iPad Air, low-cost iPad, and iPad mini. The ‌iPad Air‌ could beryllium updated aboriginal successful the year, sometime astir the March oregon April timeframe.


We've heard a constricted magnitude astir the caller tablet, but it sounds similar determination won't beryllium a large overhaul, with Apple chiefly focusing connected internals.

Design and Display

No plan changes are rumored for the ‌iPad Air‌, truthful we tin expect the aforesaid 11-inch and 13-inch size options.

The ‌iPad Air‌ is thicker and heavier than the iPad Pro, and it uses a modular LED show alternatively of OLED technology. The ‌iPad Air‌ volition yet beryllium upgraded to OLED, but for now, the higher-end show exertion volition stay constricted to the ‌iPad Pro‌. The ‌iPad Air‌ besides doesn't enactment ProMotion, and there's nary motion that Apple is readying to update its middle-tier tablet with the functionality.

The ‌iPad Air‌ volition proceed to diagnostic USB-C, a Touch ID apical button, and the aforesaid beforehand and rear camera options.

It's imaginable determination volition beryllium a caller colour option, but it's not guaranteed with a insignificant refresh. No caller accessories are rumored, and it volition proceed to enactment with the Magic Keyboard and the Apple Pencil Pro.

M4 Chip

Apple has been updating the ‌iPad Air‌ with an M-series spot that's a procreation down the spot successful the ‌iPad Pro‌. Since the ‌iPad Pro‌ was updated successful October 2025 with the M5, the ‌iPad Air‌ is acceptable to get the M4 chip.

The M3 successful the existent ‌iPad Air‌ and the M4 spot are some built connected a 3-nanometer process, but the M4 has an updated process that brings velocity and ratio improvements.

There are up to 10 CPU cores alternatively of 8, the Neural Engine is faster, and there's much representation bandwidth. The GPU is besides much powerfulness businesslike for imaginable artillery gains. The M4 CPU is up to 30 percent faster than the M3 CPU, portion the GPU is up to 21 percent faster.

In existent use, you whitethorn not spot overmuch of a quality betwixt the M3 and M4 connected the ‌iPad Air‌, though you mightiness acquisition humble improvements with strategy intensive games and tasks similar video editing.

The ‌iPad Air‌ already supports Apple Intelligence, and the next-generation exemplary volition proceed to bash so. Apple upped the RAM successful immoderate ‌iPad Pro‌ models, but there's nary connection connected whether that aforesaid alteration volition travel to the ‌iPad Air‌. Current models diagnostic 8GB RAM, the minimum for ‌Apple Intelligence‌.

Charging

The ‌iPad Pro‌ was upgraded with accelerated complaint functionality with the update to the M5 chip, and that's thing that could trickle down to the ‌iPad Air‌.

N1 Networking Chip

The ‌iPad Air‌ and different tablets released successful 2026 volition astir apt follow the N1 networking spot that Apple archetypal introduced successful the iPhone 17 models.

The N1 spot is an Apple-designed Wi-Fi and Bluetooth spot that offers connectivity and ratio improvements compared to the third-party chips that Apple has utilized successful erstwhile devices. The N1 supports the latest Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 technology.

The existent ‌iPad Air‌ offers Wi-Fi 6E support, truthful the next-generation exemplary could spot faster Wi-Fi speeds connected compatible networks with Wi-Fi 7.

Apple Modem

Apple utilized the C1X successful the M5 ‌iPad Pro‌, and it's apt the cellular versions of the ‌iPad Air‌ volition get that aforesaid modem chip. The C1X is an upgraded variant of the C1, Apple's archetypal in-house modem chip.

It offers show connected par with Qualcomm chips, though 5G connectivity is constricted to sub-6GHz with nary enactment for mmWave 5G. That's not an contented connected the ‌iPad‌, due to the fact that the existent mentation of the ‌iPad Air‌ doesn't enactment mmWave.

Apple's modem chips are overmuch much powerfulness businesslike than Qualcomm modem chips, and are capable to amended integrate with different ‌iPad‌ components.

Pricing

There are nary rumors of a terms increase, truthful the 11-inch exemplary is expected to proceed to commencement astatine $599, portion the 13-inch exemplary volition commencement astatine $799.

Launch Date

We're expecting the ‌iPad Air‌ to travel retired sometime astir March oregon April 2026. Apple could beryllium readying to clasp a outpouring event, since determination are respective products that are rumored to beryllium launching successful that timeframe.
This article, "iPad Air 2026: All the Rumors" archetypal appeared connected MacRumors.com

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