Apple Working on Larger iPad Air With 12.9-Inch Display

Apple is working on a larger iPad Air featuring a 12.9-inch display, in what would be the biggest ‌iPad Air‌ model to date, DigiTimes reports.

Citing industry sources, ‌DigiTimes‌ highlighted that unlike the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, the 12.9-inch ‌iPad Air‌ will not feature a mini-LED display. The device will instead feature the same LCD technology used in the current, 10.9-inch ‌iPad Air‌. The information was shared in ‌DigiTimes‌' "Before Going to Press" section, so while information about the new device is currently limited, more will follow tomorrow.

The ‌iPad Air‌ has only ever been available in a single size, so presumably a 12.9-inch ‌iPad Air‌ would be offered in addition to a separate model with a smaller screen, just like how the ‌iPad Pro‌ is offered in both 11- and 12.9-inch variants. A recent rumor from 9to5Mac claimed that Apple was working on two sixth-generation ‌iPad Air‌ models. While the piece speculated that Apple could release a larger version of the ‌‌iPad Air‌‌ to go along with the current 10.9-inch version, ‌DigiTimes‌' report is the first specific mention of a larger ‌iPad Air‌ variant.

Together, the rumors suggest that the 12.9-inch ‌iPad Air‌ could arrive sooner rather than later in the sixth incarnation of the device. The current ‌iPad Air‌ featuring the M1 chip launched over a year and a half ago, and a new model with the M2 chip is widely expected to launch in the coming months.

The current, 10.9-inch ‌iPad Air‌ is priced starting at $599, while the 11-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ starts at $799. A 12.9-inch ‌iPad Air‌ model would presumably be priced between these two products, but it is worth bearing in mind that Apple's next-generation iPad Pro models are rumored to see price hikes owing to their costly OLED display technology.