In March, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said a new entry-level iPad was "still coming this year," but apparently this is no longer the case. Today, he reported that the device is slated for release 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 sounds like nothing more than a spec bump. While the next iPad mini is expected to have an OLED display, the base iPad will stick with an LCD screen.
Gurman previously said the device would be powered by the A18 chip, but Macworld's Filipe Espósito said it would have an A19 chip. In any case, the device would gain support for Apple Intelligence, as both chips have the minimum 8GB of RAM required for those features. The current entry-level iPad has an A16 chip with 6GB of RAM.
Last month, Apple increased the entry-level iPad's starting price worldwide. In the U.S., for example, the device now starts at $449, up from $349.
Apple also plans to release new 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Air models early next year, according to Gurman. He said the iPad Air will eventually move to an OLED display, but he did not say if that is happening with the next models specifically.
He recently reported that new iPad Pro models will launch early next year too.
All in all, 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.
