Apple is engaged on a Twelfth-generation iPad, and plans to replace essentially the most reasonably priced pill within the iPad lineup subsequent spring. It isn’t going to be a serious replace, however for those who’re planning a purchase order, you may wish to anticipate the most recent mannequin.
Design
There are not any rumors of an up to date design for the Twelfth-generation iPad, so it is going to seemingly have the identical 11-inch edge-to-edge show with Contact ID Aspect Button and thick bezels.
Apple final up to date the iPad’s design with the Tenth-generation mannequin, giving the system a extra trendy look to raised match the designs of the iPad Professional and iPad Air fashions.
The low-cost iPad is simply accessible in a single display screen dimension, and it’s Apple’s thickest pill at 7mm. It contains a Retina LED show with no ProMotion assist, no P3 broad coloration, and no lamination (show know-how that enables for improved visuals) in comparison with Apple’s different tablets.
Apple makes the low-cost iPad in a number of enjoyable colours, and we might see some new shades in 2026. Present colours embody blue, pink, silver, and yellow.
No adjustments are anticipated for the rear digital camera, entrance digital camera, USB-C port, or compatibility with equipment just like the Apple Pencil.
A-Sequence Processor
Rumors recommend the low-cost iPad will use Apple’s A18 chip, which is the chip that Apple used for the iPhone 16e, iPhone 16, and iPhone 16 Plus. It’s constructed on a 3-nanometer course of and it’ll supply velocity and effectivity enhancements over the A16 chip that is within the present mannequin.
The A16 chip that Apple utilized in 2025 doesn’t assist Apple Intelligence, however the A18 does, so that may mark a serious replace for Apple’s reasonably priced pill. The 2026 mannequin ought to be capable of assist Apple Intelligence options which can be unavailable with the 2025 mannequin.
The A18 additionally provides hardware-accelerated ray tracing and related options for improved gameplay.
The Eleventh-generation iPad has 6GB RAM, however Apple might want to bump that as much as 8GB for Apple Intelligence.
N1 Chip
Apple debuted its personal Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip, referred to as the N1, within the iPhone 17 fashions. The N1 was added to the iPad Professional, and it is seemingly that Apple plans so as to add the chip to all future gadgets coming in 2026 and past.
The N1 chip helps Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread networking know-how for good dwelling gadgets.
The Eleventh-generation iPad is proscribed to Wi-Fi 6, so if the Twelfth-generation model does certainly get Wi-Fi 7, it will likely be ready to hook up with quicker 6GHz networks for the primary time. Bluetooth 6 would even be an enchancment over Bluetooth 5.3.
Apple Modem
Apple has designed C1 and C1X modem chips that it has utilized in iPhones and iPads in 2025, and the next-generation model of the iPad might additionally get an Apple-designed modem chip for mobile fashions.
Apple’s modem chips are extra energy environment friendly than Qualcomm chips whereas offering related efficiency.
Pricing
The Eleventh-generation iPad is priced beginning at $349 for 128GB of storage, and there are to this point no indications that pricing goes to alter for the Twelfth-generation mannequin.
Launch Date
Apple plans to launch the brand new low-cost iPad in spring 2026, which is a timeframe that spans from March 20 to June 20. The launch will seemingly come someday in March or April, with Apple additionally set to replace the iPad Air.
