Apple is planning to refresh the iPad Air in early 2025, a couple of 12 months after the 2024 refresh. We do not have a full image of what to anticipate simply but, however rumors level towards an up to date chip and new equipment.
Design
Apple refreshed the design of the iPad Air in 2024, introducing two dimension choices to match the iPad Professional fashions. In 2025, we’re once more anticipating 11-inch and 13-inch sizes, however up to now, we’ve not heard phrase of any design modifications.
The 2025 iPad Air fashions are anticipated to proceed to characteristic the identical design because the 2024 iPad Air fashions, with an aluminum chassis that has flat sides and rounded edges that wrap across the LCD show. Apple is predicted to proceed to incorporate a Contact ID energy button for biometric authentication, and a USB-C port.
There might be further colour choices even when we do not get design modifications. The present iPad Air is available in House Grey, Purple, Blue, and Starlight, a gentle gold shade.
A-Sequence Chip
Although Apple added the M4 to the iPad Professional and can carry the chip to the latest Mac fashions this 12 months, the iPad Air is predicted to get the M3, an improve to the present M2 chip.
The M3 chip is constructed on Apple’s newer 3-nanometer course of, and whereas it is not as quick because the M4, it is a notable improve over the M2. The M3’s CPU efficiency is as much as 30 % sooner than the M2 CPU efficiency, and GPU efficiency is 15 % sooner. The M3 is extra environment friendly than the M2 for higher battery life, and there’s an all-new GPU structure that makes use of Dynamic Caching to spice up graphics efficiency for GPU intensive apps and video games. There may be assist for hardware-based ray tracing for an enchancment in gaming on the iPad.
Rumors counsel the iPad Air will get the M3 as a substitute of the newer M4 that is within the iPad Professional fashions to distinguish between the 2 tablets. Apple plans to maintain the iPad Air a step behind the iPad Professional.
Apple Intelligence
Present iPad Air fashions with an M2 chip assist Apple Intelligence in iPadOS 18, and the M3 chips may even work with Apple Intelligence.
Show
A significant differentiator between the iPad Professional and iPad Air is OLED show expertise and assist for 120Hz ProMotion refresh charges. We do not count on notable updates to the show in 2025, and up to now, it would not sound like Apple plans to carry ProMotion to the iPad Air.
Different Options
Apple introduced Wi-Fi 7 assist to its newest iPhone fashions, so we may begin to see extra merchandise up to date to the most recent Wi-Fi protocol. Wi-Fi 7 brings sooner speeds and decrease latency, and if Wi-Fi 7 would not come to the brand new iPad Air, it’s going to proceed to make use of Wi-Fi 6E.
Magic Keyboard
Apple is engaged on a brand new model of the Magic Keyboard for the iPad Air, and it is supposed to come back out in the identical time-frame because the next-generation iPad Air. It will not have an aluminum prime case just like the Magic Keyboard for the iPad Professional, but it surely may get the identical perform row of keys.
Launch Date
Based on Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman, the next-generation iPad Air is ready to come back out someday “early next year.”