Throughout 2022 we’ve heard a plethora of reports of an OLED iPad Pro and even an all-new 14.2-inch iPad — but rumors of any next-gen iPad models have otherwise been few and far between, so we can really expect some new ones iPad models launching this year?
2023 looks set to be a quiet year for “iPad” hardware updates, and while it’s possible we could see some new models, the current picture suggests that new iPads are overall unlikely this year. 2024, on the other hand, looks set to be a much more significant year for the “iPad” lineup. Below, we’ve consolidated the latest rumors about each of Apple’s upcoming “iPad” models to give you a sense of what might or might not be in store this year.
11th Gen iPad: Unlikely
When Apple introduced the 10th-gen “iPad” last year, it added the device to the lineup above the ninth-gen model starting in 2021. As a result, Apple is currently selling both the ninth and 10th generation “iPad” for $329 and $449, respectively. This seems easier to do as the devices are well differentiated, offering different designs, chips, display sizes, ports, keyboard accessories and more.
The A15 Bionic chip is the most plausible upgrade for the 11th-gen “iPad,” as every new entry-level iPad since the 2020 eighth-gen model has received a chip that’s a generation newer. The 10th Gen “iPad” comes with the A14 Bionic chip, making the A15 the most likely upgrade for the next model – not least because this chip is now widely used on devices like the iPhone SE, iPad mini and Apple TV is.
The entry-level iPad might also benefit from second-generation Apple Pencil support and a newer chip, but it’s not immediately clear what else might justify offering a new version of the device this year. As an 11th gen iPad probably doesn’t offer much new over the 10th gen model at this point, a new model seems unlikely any time soon. There are also no concrete rumors about the new entry-level model “iPad”.
This year, Apple is more likely to drop the ninth-gen “iPad” and lower the price of the 10th-gen model, rather than release an 11th-gen model.
7th generation iPad Mini: Possible
Apple released the sixth generation “iPad mini” in September 2021, bringing the first major redesign of the device in its entire history. As with the 11th generation “iPad”, a chip upgrade is the most certain feature of the next “iPad mini” – an aspect that is supported by recent reports.
The iPad mini currently includes the A15 Bionic. While slightly downclocking, the A15 Bionic puts the “iPad mini” on par with the iPhone 13 mini, “iPhone 13”, “iPhone SE” third generation, iPhone 14, “iPhone 14” Plus and “Apple TV” 4K the third generation. These six devices with the A15 chip are expected to remain in stores until 2023, meaning the chip will likely continue to be widely used in Apple’s lineup.
As a result, the current “iPad mini” will feature relatively modern chip hardware all year round. With features like support for the second-gen Apple Pencil and Center Stage, there’s no pressing need to update the device this year, and it’s not clear what a new model might offer.
While Apple updated the “iPad mini” annually from 2012 to 2016, updates became more infrequent thereafter, with only a small update in March 2019 before the 2021 redesign. As it is a device that now tends to stay longer between updates seems, a hardware refresh in 2023 isn’t certain, but the seventh-generation “iPad mini” is the only “iPad” model actively rumored to possibly launch this year.
Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes the seventh-generation “iPad” will start mass shipping towards the end of 2023 or in the first half of 2024 — while a launch this year is possible, 2024 seems the most likely.
Sixth-gen iPad Air: Unlikely
The iPad Air is another device that hasn’t had any solid rumors about its successor. The current model launched in March of last year and added the M1 chip, center stage on the front camera, a faster USB-C port and several new color options, but it was a minor upgrade overall from the previous September 2020 model.
Therefore, since 2023, it has been some time since the “iPad Air” had a major hardware update. However, due to its positioning between the entry-level “iPad” and the iPad Pro, it’s not immediately clear what a new “iPad Air” model could win without cannibalizing the “iPad Pro”.
A horizontally-oriented front-facing camera, the M2 chip, and a Thunderbolt port are among the potential features for the sixth-gen “iPad Air,” but little is known about the device at this point. While an update to add the “M2” chip is possible in 2023, it’s more likely that Apple will again wait two years to update the device and target 2024 for a more worthwhile upgrade.
7th Gen iPad Pro: Very unlikely
The next-gen iPad Pro models are the most rumored upcoming iPads. The current 11- and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models were released in October 2022 and added the “M2” chip, “Apple Pencil” hover, Smart HDR 4, Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 – one other small updates like the fifth generation “iPad Air”.
With the current and previous generation “iPad Pro” models with M-series chips and the 2022 update making the jump to the “M2” chip, the M3 chip is the most likely chip to appear in the “iPad Pro ‘ will be included in the next generation. The “M3” chip is expected to be manufactured in TSMC’s 3nm process and will bring the biggest boost in performance and efficiency to Apple’s chips in several years. The first Apple devices with “M3” chips are not expected to appear until the second half of 2023, which seems to rule out a new “iPad Pro” any time soon.
Additionally, the main feature rumored for the next-gen “iPad Pro” is OLED displays – an upgrade that’s been rumored for over a year. Dozens of reports from multiple sources agree that “iPad Pro” models with OLED displays are set to launch in 2024 rather than this year. The OLED displays Apple plans to use will reportedly be more durable, allowing for thinner and lighter device designs, and they could have narrower bezels, with display size options increasing from 11 to 11.1 inches and 12.9 to 13 inches rise.
The iPad Pro has had the same design for four consecutive generations since 2018, and it looks like the device may finally get a redesign in its next incarnation. It’s not entirely clear what the new design might look like, but a thinner and lighter device with a glass back or larger glass Apple logo to enable wireless charging seems plausible based on current rumors. The device could also switch from a default portrait orientation to a landscape one – something that seems to be helped by the relocation of the iPad mini’s volume buttons and the latest entry-level iPad’s landscape-oriented front-facing camera.
The iPhone 15 range is rumored to be transitioning to an iPhone 5C or MacBook Pro-like design with a flat front and rounded back, so a design like this for the “iPad Pro” isn’t out of the question either.
Rumor has it that the next major iPad Pro update will not be released in 2023, which means that new iPad Pro models appear very unlikely this year. Apple waited over 18 months between the 2021 and 2022 “iPad Pros,” and if a similar timeline were followed again, the next-gen “iPad Pro” would launch in May 2024.
14-inch iPad: Canceled
A 14.1-inch iPad was previously rumored to be launching in early 2023, but the latest reports suggest such a device is no longer in the works.
While it was originally said to have a mini LED display and ProMotion technology, it was later thought to have an LCD display like the “iPad Air”. This suggests that this wasn’t an “iPad Pro” model, but an entirely new breed of “iPad” that focused on a large display without the advanced features found on the high-end iPad ranges. models were available.
Larger iPads are still a possibility for the future, since The information believes Apple will design a 16-inch iPad and Bloomberg has repeatedly confirmed Apple’s interest in larger iPads.
With the cancellation of the 14.1-inch “iPad”, which was said to be the most developed larger “iPad” model due to the confirmed rumors surrounding the device, as well as the only “iPad”, which was said to be in the first half of the year Should the market come, it now seems that larger “iPad” models are out of the question for 2023.
