Apple is poised to launch the fifth-generation iPad Air in the spring, offering an array of features that have largely already come to other iPad models, according to recent reports.
According to Japanese blog Mac Otakara, Apple is planning to give the fifth-generation iPad Air features from the sixth-generation iPad mini, including the A15 Bionic chip, a 12-megapixel Ultra Wide front camera with Center Stage, 5G for cellular models, and a Quad-LED True Tone flash.
The A15 chip would bring moderate performance and efficiency improvements to the iPad Air, which currently sports the A14 chip that is also in the iPhone 12 models. The A15 chip enables up to 20 percent better CPU performance and 15 percent better GPU performance compared to the previous-generation A14 chip.
Center Stage, which is available on all of Apple's other iPad models from 2021, is a feature designed to keep you perfectly framed during video calls. The wide-angle front-facing camera can show more of your surroundings, while the A15 chip works to keep you front and center even as you move around. If more than one person is participating in the call, the camera will zoom out to attempt to keep everyone in view and make sure they're part of the conversation.
The updated iPad Air is also said to feature the same design as the current model, with a single-lens rear camera. Released in October 2020, the current iPad Air features an all-screen design with a 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display, Touch ID built into the Power Button, and a USB-C port.
Color options are as yet unknown. The sixth-generation iPad mini comes in a range of color options, including Pink, Starlight, Purple, and Space Gray. Other than Space Gray, these were all-new shades for 2021. The current iPad Air, on the other hand, is available in Silver, Space Gray, Rose Gold, Green, and Sky Blue. While Apple's system of colors is currently somewhat fragmented, it seems reasonable to expect the next-generation iPad Air to get a new range of colors to broadly match the iPhone 13, Apple Watch Series 7, and iPad mini.
Citing sources in China, Mac Otakara claims that the new iPad Air could be announced alongside the third-generation iPhone SE in spring 2022. Apple's first product event of 2022 will likely take place in March or April as usual, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, so it's possible that the new iPad Air and iPhone SE models could be announced at that event.
Gurman believes that Apple is preparing to launch three new iPad models this year. Filings thought to be for the fifth-generation iPad Air have been spotted in the Eurasian Economic Commission's database, indicating that launch is close.
