In March, BloombergMark Gurman of , said that a new entry-level iPad would “still arrive this year”, but apparently that’s no longer the case. Today, it announced that the device is expected to be released in the first quarter of 2027 at the earliest.
The main new feature will be a faster processor rather than major design changes, he said, so it doesn’t look like anything more than a change in specifications. While the next iPad mini is expected to have an OLED display, the base iPad will stick to an LCD display.
Gurman previously said the device would be powered by the A18 chip, but MacmondeFilipe Espósito of , said it would have an A19 chip. Either way, the device would benefit from Apple Intelligence support, as both chips have the minimum 8GB of RAM required for these features. The current entry-level iPad has an A16 chip with 6GB of RAM.
Last month, Apple raised the starting price of the entry-level iPad worldwide. In the United States, for example, the device now starts at $449, up from $349.
Apple also plans to launch new 11- and 13-inch iPad Air models early next year, according to Gurman. He said the iPad Air would eventually move to an OLED display, but he didn’t say whether that would happen specifically with upcoming models.
It recently announced that new iPad Pro models would also launch early next year.
Overall, he expects a new iPad mini by October this year, followed by updated entry-level iPad, iPad Air and iPad Pro models in the first half of next year.
