New iPad Expected to Ship With iPadOS 18.3 in Spring 2025

Apple plans to release an entry-level iPad 11 in the spring and iPadOS 18.3 will be pre-installed on the shipped devices, according to a source with a proven track record for upcoming Apple software updates.

Apple iPad 10th gen Magic Keyboard Folio Apple Pencil Feature Yellow
Several reports in the last few months have suggested Apple is developing an 11th-generation iPad that is scheduled to be released around the same time as a new iPhone SE 4 and iPad Air in the spring.

Today's source adds weight to the evidence. Apple is expected to release iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3 in late January or early February, which would be time enough for the company to get the latest software on new devices for shipping around March.

Rumors of new features are thin on the ground, but today's source says his information does not support rumors that the low-cost iPad will include Apple's upcoming custom 5G modem, which is also expected to be introduced in the iPhone SE and iPhone 17 Air in 2025. Apple's modem chip will be capable of theoretical 5G download speeds of up to 4Gb/s, which is slower than Qualcomm's modems in current phones. The chip will not support the fastest mmWave 5G, and will instead be limited to sub-6GHz 5G.

Meanwhile, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has said that the device will likely support Apple Intelligence, which suggests the iPad 11 will have a newer A-series chip compared to the iPad 10, and at least 8GB of RAM. Apple released the iPad 10 in October 2022 with the A14 Bionic chip. Gurman has also said Apple is working on a new Magic Keyboard accessory for the low-cost ‌iPad‌ and/or the iPad Air which is expected to come out by the middle of 2025.

Apple has seeded the first betas of iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3, but there's no word yet on what's included. What we do know is that Apple is still working to roll out Apple Intelligence features. iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2 include Image Playground, Genmoji, and Siri ChatGPT integration, but there are still new ‌Siri‌ functions that are slated for release next year.

We could see updates to ‌Siri‌ with iOS 18.3, and the features Apple has in development include personal context, on-screen awareness, and the ability to do more in and between apps.

Related Roundup: iPad
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Top Rated Comments

iGüey Avatar
14 weeks ago

Will iPadOS be able to multitask already or make use of multiple accounts like a Mac? Only single user usage makes it so 2016 ?
Well, you know Apple…. They consider iPad as a personal device, so they look forward to sell as many units as possible. I really don’t think they care about multiple accounts/users at iPad, so I wouldn’t bet to that.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Reverend Benny Avatar
14 weeks ago
Would be nice with a facelift/refresh and that they add support for the new pencils and such things.
Face ID for all devices can't cost much to introduce and should be standard all iphones soon has it.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Lounge vibes 05 Avatar
14 weeks ago

The basic iPad is designed obsolescence and a throw away. Give a real mid-tier and stop with this expensive web browser.
Completely disagree.
The basic iPad existing especially when it’s on sale at $249 is the difference between a non-techie family member getting a decent quality product that will get years of updates, versus them opting for a $100 bloat filled ads covered Walmart or Amazon low-end junkware tablet.
And yes, I know low-end Android devices are not all terrible, but a good majority of them are pretty bad. Especially with the bloat, it’s endless.

Even with the quite old at this point iPad 10, for $250 you’re getting Apple’s build quality, a very good LCD display that is super high resolution, the same chip from the iPhone 12 (which literally still can out perform the low end chips of today), and pretty much full access to the entire iPad experience. Even day-to-day the experience of using an iPad 10 really isn’t that different from using an iPad Pro. Absolutely cannot be said about the competitors in this price point, comparing Samsung‘s $150 tablets to their $1000 tablets is a drastic difference in experience.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
antonrg Avatar
14 weeks ago
I doubt they will release an Air in Spring 2025, they don't release Air each year, and it's simply illogical. The regular iPad makes much more sense.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HJM.NL Avatar
14 weeks ago

for apple intelligence it needs at least an a16 with 8gbs of ram. I feel like they will release it with the non pro a17 (bottom of the barrel n3b binned a17) with 8 gb of ram.
8 Gb RAM will obsolete any future iOS improvements. 12 GB is the absolute minimum for a couple of years to work with 16 Gb as being standard these days. Won’t cost Apple much when making it a standard too. The question is why Timmy doesn’t ???

Will iPadOS be able to multitask already or make use of multiple accounts like a Mac? Only single user usage makes it so 2016 ?
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
joshwithachance Avatar
14 weeks ago

I've heard of an A17 non-pro chip likely for this iPad. It will lose one GPU core compared to the A17
They already did this with the recent iPad mini "refresh". But instead of calling it an A17 they still refer to it as an A17 Pro.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)