Apple hasn’t updated its most affordable iPad in a while—both last year and this year, it’s stuck with the outdated A14 chipset, which has been around for over four years. They did drop the price from $449 to $349 earlier this year, but it looks like we can finally expect a proper refresh in the spring. Here’s what you can look forward to.
Apple Intelligence
The next-generation entry-level iPad is expected to support Apple Intelligence, though it’s still uncertain which chipset it will have. It’s likely to feature the A18 chip, especially since the first-generation 3nm process is pretty expensive. Apple probably used the A17 Pro chip in the new iPad mini because they had some leftover binned chips from the iPhone 15 Pro production.
With this upgrade, you’d be able to enjoy features like notification summaries, Image Playground, Genmoji, the revamped Siri, ChatGPT, and more. If it launches in the spring, Apple should have rolled out all the Apple Intelligence features by then.
Other Upgrades
The new device should support newer connectivity standards like Wi-Fi 6E (or even Wi-Fi 7) and Bluetooth 5.3. This would be a nice upgrade from the current entry-level iPad, which has Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2, offering benefits like lower latency.
Additionally, Apple is reportedly developing a new, more affordable Magic Keyboard for iPads, which the iPad 11 might support. Unlike the folio style of the iPad 10, this keyboard would feature a more traditional design.
There’s a chance we might see support for the Apple Pencil Pro with the iPad 11. While there aren’t any solid rumors about this yet, Apple could update the magnet placement to make it compatible. When Apple launched the iPad 10 in 2022, users couldn’t use the Apple Pencil 2 with the landscape front camera, so this change would be a welcome improvement.
However, it might come down to cost, as Apple would need to include a wireless charging coil too. We’ll have to wait and see!
Release Date
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that Apple plans to launch the iPad 11 next spring, alongside the new iPhone SE, iPad Air, and more. The design will be pretty similar to the current version from 2022, but it will get a nice speed boost.
If all goes as planned, that means Apple’s entry-level iPad will be 2.5 years old by the time it finally gets a refresh.
