Next iPad Air Could Feature a USB-C Port Instead of a Lightning Port

The fourth-generation iPad Air may be equipped with a USB-C port instead of a Lightning port, according to a new report from Japanese site Mac Otakara that says the information comes from a Chinese supplier.

ipadairgold
Apple transitioned to USB-C for its iPad Pro models in 2018, but other iPads have continued to feature a Lightning port for charging purposes. Mac Otakara says that the new ‌iPad Air‌ will be based on the 11-inch ‌iPad Pro‌, which is in line with prior rumors that we've heard.

Rumors earlier this year suggested that Apple is working on an 11-inch ‌iPad Air‌, which could launch in the second half of 2020. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo recently said that Apple is working on a 10.8-inch iPad, and while he didn't say it was an "Air" model, it fits in with other rumors about a new ‌iPad Air‌.

One rumor from leaker L0vetodream has indicated the upcoming ‌iPad Air‌ could feature a mini-LED display with an under-display version of Touch ID instead of Face ID, but it remains to be seen if that info will turn out to be accurate as it hasn't yet been backed up with a second source.

‌Mac Otakara‌ also mentions the upcoming iPad mini, which Kuo previously said would measure in at 8.5 to 9 inches. This new ‌iPad mini‌, coming in 2021, is expected to continue to feature a Lightning port rather than a USB-C port.

Related Roundups: iPad Air , iPad mini
Related Forum: iPad

Popular Stories

Verizon New

Verizon is Down: iPhones Show 'SOS' Mode Due to Network Outage [Resolved]

Wednesday January 14, 2026 10:18 am PST by
Verizon is experiencing a major outage across the U.S. today, with hundreds of thousands of customers reporting issues with the network on the website Downdetector. There are also complaints across Reddit and other social media platforms. iPhone users and others with Verizon service are generally unable to make phone calls, send text messages, or use data over 5G or LTE due to the outage....
Apple Creator Studio

Apple Introduces New 'Creator Studio' Bundle of Apps for $129 Per Year

Tuesday January 13, 2026 6:11 am PST by
Apple today introduced a new Apple Creator Studio bundle that offers access to six creative apps, as well as exclusive AI features and content, as part of a single subscription. In the U.S., pricing is set at $12.99 per month or $129 per year. Here are the six apps included with an Apple Creator Studio subscription:Final Cut Pro on the Mac and iPad Logic Pro on the Mac and iPad Pixelmator...
iOS 26

Here's What's New in iOS 26.3 So Far

Monday January 12, 2026 1:15 pm PST by
Apple today seeded the second beta of iOS 26.3, nearly a month after the first beta. So far, the update includes a couple of new features for iPhones. iOS 15.3 through iOS 18.3 were all released in late January over the years, so it is thereby likely that iOS 26.3 will be released towards the end of this month as well. The update is compatible with the iPhone 11 series and newer. Below,...
maxresdefault

Apple Confirms Google Gemini Will Power Next-Generation Siri This Year

Monday January 12, 2026 7:38 am PST by
In a statement shared with CNBC today, Apple confirmed that Google Gemini will power the next-generation version of Siri that is slated to launch later this year. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. "After careful evaluation, we determined that Google's technology provides the most capable foundation for Apple Foundation Models and we're excited about the innovative...
Low Cost MacBook Feature A18 Pro

Apple Is Expected to Launch These Four MacBooks in 2026

Friday January 9, 2026 8:17 am PST by
2026 could be a bumper year for Apple's Mac lineup, with the company expected to announce as many as four separate MacBook launches. Rumors suggest Apple will court both ends of the consumer spectrum, with more affordable options for students and feature-rich premium lines for users that seek the highest specifications from a laptop. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. ...
airpods pro 3 design

Apple Releases New AirPods Pro 3 Firmware Update

Tuesday January 13, 2026 11:29 am PST by
Apple today released a firmware update for the AirPods Pro 3. The latest firmware has a version number of 8B34, up from the previous version 8B30. Apple has a support document for AirPods firmware updates, and it indicates that the 8B34 update contains unspecified "bug fixes and other improvements." No other AirPods models received firmware updates today. How to install AirPods Pro...
fcp pcp iwork creator studio

Some Apple Apps Will No Longer Receive Every New Feature Without a Subscription

Tuesday January 13, 2026 10:50 am PST by
If you are not interested in subscribing to the new Apple Creator Studio bundle introduced today, you will officially start to miss out on some new features. Apple said some "exciting new intelligent features and premium content" in Pixelmator Pro, Keynote, Numbers, Pages, and Freeform will only be accessible with a Creator Studio subscription. In the U.S., a subscription costs $12.99 per...
maxresdefault

Google Gemini-Powered Siri Will Reportedly Have These 7 New Features

Tuesday January 13, 2026 7:52 pm PST by
Apple and Google this week announced that Gemini will help power a more personalized Siri, and The Information has provided more details. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. As soon as this spring, the report said the revamped version of Siri will be able to… Answer more factual/world knowledge questions in a conversational manner Tell more stories Provide...
iOS 18 Siri Personal Context

Elon Musk Reacts to Apple and Google Teaming on Gemini-Powered Siri

Monday January 12, 2026 11:38 am PST by
Elon Musk today expressed concern about Apple and Google partnering on a more personalized version of Siri powered by Google's generative AI platform Gemini. "This seems like an unreasonable concentration of power for Google, given that [they] also have Android and Chrome," wrote Musk, in a post on X. Musk serves as CEO of xAI, the company behind Gemini competitor Grok. It is unlikely...
iPhone Top Left Hole Punch Face ID Feature Purple

10 Reasons to Wait for This Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Thursday January 8, 2026 2:56 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...

Top Rated Comments

pdaholic Avatar
73 months ago
Add usb-c to the iPhones and lets dump the lightening connector altogether!
Score: 42 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Howyalikdemapls Avatar
73 months ago
Why don’t they make all their devices use the same connector? It seems odd to have some iPads use USB-C and some use lightning, no?
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dwaltwhit Avatar
73 months ago
30 pin lasted 9 years. Lightning is getting close to that. It will be nice to move away from proprietary.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jimthing Avatar
73 months ago
Mini should be:
• USB-C.
• Pencil 2 support.
• Face ID.
• bezel-less screen (at larger ~9" screen size).

Anything else is Apple beings d¡cks to customers, at this point.


Clearly Apple must be blind to the needs of their customers if they don't realise many will also own a larger iPad Pro using USB-C already (or any new Mac, for that matter), so we can use the same cable on the Mini. It's so bleeding obvious, does it actually need explaining at this point. Keeping Lightning would just be a kick in the teeth to multi-device users (most people in the year 2020).

There's always 'legacy' to move on from, so staying with Lightning for yet another generation just prolongs the agony of an eventual swap later.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ian87w Avatar
73 months ago

Why don’t they make all their devices use the same connector? It seems odd to have some iPads use USB-C and some use lightning, no?
It seems odd at first, but imo Apple is pushing the iPad Pros to be real computer replacements, and as such USB-C would feel more natural to connect to peripherals.

Although the loss of headphone jack is weird.

Now that I mentioned it, I don't want this to happen if it means losing the headphone jack. It makes sense on the iPhone, due to constrained space and water proofing. The iPad has plenty of room and no IP rating, so removing headphone jack just because of USB-C is not cool imo.


The Air is expected to have an 11-inch LCD and in-display Touch ID. Makes sense it would have USB-C so it can share most of the current iPad Pro accessories.
It would be really sad if such large device doesn't have a headphone jack.... :(
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
yurc Avatar
73 months ago
Almost every 2020 device have type-c as international standard. Any device at this moment which keep proprietary connector are sacrilegious enough.

Also, lightning ports still in USB 2.0 speed, nullifying advancements of high speeds newer USB technology, less supported protocol. Lightning was superior back then compared with retarded micro-USB, but with type C there’s was no reason to keep lightning anymore. The only merit of lightning now is only have slimmer footprints than type c, the rest quite meh.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)