According to MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris, a low-profile account on X indicates that iPadOS 18 will drop support for just the iPad models with an A10 or A10X Fusion chip. This is the same source that also reports iOS 18 device support. This means that all iPad models with an A12 Bionic chip or later will be compatible with iPadOS 18. (No iPad models were released with any variation of an A11 Bionic chip.)
Those models include:
- iPad mini (5th generation and later)
- iPad (8th generation and later)
- iPad Air (3rd generation and later)
- iPad Pro 11-inch
- iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation and later)
The iPad models that will be dropped for iPadOS 18 are the 6th/7th generation iPad, the 10.5-inch iPad Pro, and the second-generation 12.9-inch iPad Pro. The iPad 6 was introduced in March 2018, which brought Apple Pencil support for the first time on a base iPad. The iPad 7, introduced in September 2019, featured a larger 10.2-inch display (up from 9.7-inch from the start) and added a Smart Connector for accessories like the Smart Keyboard. The 10.5-inch iPad Pro and 12.9-inch iPad Pro (2nd generation) were introduced in June 2017, and they introduced ProMotion technology for the first time on any Apple device. They were also the last models to feature an older design before they moved to the current design we know today in 2018.
iPadOS 18 is expected to be announced at this year’s WWDC, and some features we can expect are next-generation AI for Siri, RCS support in Messages, and a major UI redesign inspired by visionOS.
iPadOS 18’s public release will be around the September/October timeframe this year.
