Apple is working on the 12th generation iPad and plans to refresh the most affordable tablet in the iPad lineup next spring. It's not a major upgrade, but if you're thinking about buying one, you might want to wait for the newest model.
See also: Apple: Selling refurbished iPad Air with M3 chip at a discount
Design
There are no rumors of a refreshed design for the 12th-generation iPad, so it will likely feature the same 11-inch edge-to-edge display, Touch ID button on the side, and thick bezels. Apple last refreshed the iPad design with the 10th-generation model, giving the device a more modern look to better match the designs of the iPad Pro and iPad Air models.
The budget iPad comes in only one screen size and is Apple's thickest tablet at 7mm. It has a Retina LED with no ProMotion support, no P3 wide color, and no anti-aliasing (a display technology that allows for improved graphics) compared to Apple's other tablets.
Apple makes the budget iPad in a variety of fun colors, and we could see a few new shades in 2026. Current colors include blue, pink, silver , and yellow. No changes are expected to the rear camera, front camera, USB-C port, or compatibility with accessories like the Apple Pencil.
A-Series Processor
Rumors suggest that the budget iPad will use A18 chip , which was used in the iPhone 16e, iPhone 16 , and iPhone 16 Plus. It's built on a 3-nanometer process and will offer speed and performance improvements over the A16 chip found in the current model.
The A16 chip that Apple used in the 2025 doesn't support Apple Intelligence, but the A18 does, so this would mark a significant upgrade for Apple's budget tablet. The 2026 model should be able to support Apple Intelligence features that aren't available with the 2025 model.
The A18 also offers hardware acceleration for ray tracing and similar features for improved gameplay. The 11th-generation iPad has 6GB of RAM, but Apple will need to increase that to 8GB for Apple Intelligence.
See also: Apple releases 4 new 'pro' apps for iPad
Chip N1
Apple introduced its own Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip, the N1, in 17 iPhone models. The N1 was added to the iPad Pro, and it's likely that Apple plans to add the chip to all future devices released in 2026 and beyond. The N1 chip supports Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread networking technology for smart home devices.
The 11th-generation iPad is limited to Wi-Fi 6, so if the 12th-generation version gets Wi-Fi 7, it will be able to connect to faster 6GHz networks for the first time. Bluetooth 6 would also be an improvement over Bluetooth 5.3.
Apple modem
Apple has designed the C1 and C1X modem chips that it has used in iPhones and iPads since 2025, and the next-generation iPad could also get an Apple-designed modem chip for models with cellular connectivity. Apple's modem chips are more power-efficient than Qualcomm's chips while providing similar performance.
Price
The 11th generation iPad starts at $349 for 128GB of storage, and so far there is no indication that the price will change for the 12th generation model.
See also: M6 iPad Pro likely to feature Vapor Chamber cooling system
Release Date
Apple plans to release the new budget iPad in the spring of 2026, a time period that spans from March 20 to June 20. The launch will likely happen sometime in March or April, with Apple also preparing to refresh the iPad Air.
