Earlier this week, we reported that the upcoming base iPad is expected to feature the A17 Pro chip to support Apple Intelligence. However, that’s not the only iPad that Apple’s expected to announce this spring. It’s been heavily rumored that Apple is working on an upgraded iPad Air, which is expected to launch in the spring. Although we’ve been expecting this next iPad Air to feature the M3 chip, which is one generation behind the iPad Pro’s M4 chip. Mark Gurman’s latest edition of his Powered On newsletter claims otherwise as he now expects that the iPad Air could feature the latest M4 chip instead, skipping the M3 chip entirely. Here’s what Mark Gurman has to say:
The new iPad Airs — code-named J607, J608, J637 and J638 — will be more about specification upgrades than design changes. The current version, introduced last year, has the M2 chip. I wouldn’t be terribly surprised if the 2025 models get bumped up to the M4, matching the iPad Pro. That would mean the Pro has less of an edge over the Air, but that shouldn’t be too shocking. Most Macs rely on the same chip family, and iPads could do the same.
This may come as a shock to several readers and analysts, but if you think about it, there was one time that the iPad Air did have the same generation chip as the latest iPad Pro back then. Apple introduced the iPad Pro models with the M1 chip back in April 2021, and almost a year later, Apple debuted the iPad Air with the M1 chip in March 2022, which was about seven months before Apple updated the iPad Pro with the M2 chip later in October.
Since the iPad Air is expected to feature the same chip as the iPad Pro soon, there wouldn’t be a performance advantage for the higher-end iPad Pro. However, Apple could continue to differentiate the iPad Air from the iPad Pro in various ways:
- The iPad Air could continue to feature LCD displays whereas the iPad Pro features the more advanced tandem OLED displays.
- It’s also been heavily rumored that Apple is exploring displays with 90Hz refresh rates for the iMac, Studio Display, and iPad Air, so this next iPad Air could pioneer those 90Hz displays, which could have a premium advantage over the base iPad, which is also expected to be updated this spring. The latest iPad Pro with ProMotion technology can go up to 120Hz refresh rates.
- The iPad Air’s storage configurations could still be offered in: 128GB/256GB/512GB/1TB. The iPad Pro currently comes with 256GB by default but can go up to 2TB.
- Furthermore, all storage configurations for the iPad Air could come with 8GB of RAM and the M4 chip with a 9-core CPU. Note that this would be different from the iPad Pro models with 1TB or 2TB storage, which features 16GB of RAM and the M4 chip with a 10-core CPU.
Additionally, Apple is working on a new Magic Keyboard accessory for the iPad Air, which won’t feature an aluminum build, but it will come with a row of function keys and other features from the M4 iPad Pro’s Magic Keyboard. The next iPad Air is also expected to feature Apple’s first custom-built 5G modem as well as the upcoming base iPad.
All in all, this is looking to be a solid upgrade for the iPad Air, and it may be worth buying for those who do more serious workflows on an iPad. The M4 iPad Air in both 11-inch and 13-inch screen sizes is expected to be announced this spring along with the entry-level iPad.
