Highlights
- Apple to refresh baseline iPad with new Apple Silicone M1 chipset.
- iPad Air set for a speed boost with M2 chipset, surpassing its 6th-gen models.
- Speculated iPad Mini 7 to eliminate jelly-scrolling issue and upgrade to A16 Bionic chipset.
- Next-generation OLED iPad Pro models delayed until latter half of 2024.
iPads have become an integral part of the Apple ecosystem in recent times with the company now pushing out yearly upgrades to its tablet series.
The Pro moniker is the very high end of products offered by Apple and is consequently priced at the higher end as well.
There are also other lineups in Apple’s stable like the basic iPad, iPad Air, and the iPad Mini.
Now reports are surfacing about a refresh to at least three of the existing iPad lineups on October 17.
New iPads To Get A Spec Bump
Of course, all these reports should of course be taken with a grain of salt and that being said, it appears that the baseline iPad, which was the most recent refresh from Apple, will now be modified again, perhaps getting the new Apple silicone M1 chipset that has already permeated the iPad Pro and Air lineups.
The iPad Air will likely get a faster M2 chipset, which should make it marginally faster than the current 6th-gen lineup.
And finally, it is also being speculated that the iPad Mini might also get a spec boost to the Apple A16 Bionic chipset.
Design-wise all the iPads are reported to be the same for the time being.
The iPad Mini had been plagued with a kind of jelly-scrolling effect that made one part of the screen scroll a bit slower than the rest.
It is likely going to be fixed with the rumoured iPad Mini 7.
Also if you’re looking forward to a new iPad Pro release, you’ll have to wait a bit longer.
The next-generation iPad Pro models, featuring OLED screens, are anticipated to be launched in the latter half of 2024.
This timeline aligns well with Apple’s schedule, as the first half of the year is expected to be focused on the rollout of Apple’s Vision Pro spatial computer.
No Special Event For the Launch?
With such minor improvements being speculated it will be unlikely that Apple will hold a full-scale event for their unveiling.
Apple has done this previously with its mid-season iPad refresh so there is no reason to believe the company won’t do it again.
There are also reports of a new Apple Pencil in the making with USB-C charging, a further shift by the company to integrate this universal port across all its consumer electronics offerings.
While tablet sales are not doing so well in the world as of now, the iPad still remains the number one choice for consumers foraying into the segment.
The reported refresh and spec bumps to at least three models in the iPad lineup will surely help the company’s sales projections in the immediate future.
iPad Mini 7
GENERAL
| Sim Type | Single Sim, GSM |
| Dual Sim | No |
| Sim Size | Nano SIM |
| Device Type | Tablet |
| Release Date | September 14, 2022 (Expected) |
| Voice Call | Yes |
DISPLAY
| Type | Color IPS LCD Screen (16M Colors) |
| Touch | Yes |
| Size | 8.3 inches, 2266 x 1488 pixels |
| PPI | ~ 326 PPI |
| Features | Wide Colour Display (P3), True Tone display, Fingerprint-resistant Oleophobic Coating, Fully Laminated Display, Anti-reflective Coating |
MEMORY
| Storage | 64 GB |
| Card Slot | No |
CONNECTIVITY
| GPRS | Yes |
| EDGE | Yes |
| 3G | Yes |
| 4G | Yes |
| 5G | Yes |
| VoLTE | Yes |
| Wifi | Yes, with wifi-hotspot |
| Bluetooth | Yes, 5.3 |
| USB | Yes, USB-C v3.1 |
| USB Features | USB Tethering, USB on-the-go, USB Charging |
EXTRA
| GPS | Built‑in GPS, GNSS |
| Fingerprint Sensor | Yes |
| Face Unlock | Yes |
| Sensors | Three-axis Gyro, Accelerometer, Barometer, Ambient light sensor |
CAMERA
| Rear Camera | 12 MP f/1.8 (Wide Angle) with autofocus |
| Features | Panorama, Smart HDR 3, Burst Mode, Photo Geotagging, Wide Colour Capture, Five-element Lens, Auto Image Stabilisation, Quad-LED True Tone Flash |
| Video Recording | 4K @ 24/25/30/60 fps UHD, 1080p @ 25/30/60 fps FHD |
| Flash | Yes |
| Front Camera | 12 MP f/2.4 (Wide Angle) with Retina Flash |
TECHNICAL
| OS | iOS v15 |
| Chipset | Apple Bionic A15 |
| CPU | 3.22 GHz, Hexa Core Processor |
| Core Details | 2×3.22 GHz Avalanche + 4xX.X GHz Blizzard |
| GPU | Apple 5-core Graphics |
| Java | No |
| Browser | Yes |
MULTIMEDIA
| Yes | |
| Music | Yes |
| Video | Yes |
| FM Radio | Yes |
BATTERY
| Type | Non-Removable Battery |
ipad Air 5th Gen Key Specs
GENERAL
| Device Type | Tablet |
| Release Date | March 08, 2022 |
| Voice Call | No |
DESIGN
| Dimensions | 178.5 x 247.6 x 6.1 mm |
| Weight | 461 g |
DISPLAY
| Type | Color Liquid Retina IPS LCD (16M Colors) |
| Touch | Yes |
| Size | 10.9 inches, 1640 x 2360 pixels |
| PPI | ~ 264 PPI |
| Screen to Body Ratio | ~ 81.3% |
| Features | True-tone, Wide Color Gamut, 500 nits brightness |
MEMORY
| Storage | 64 GB |
| Card Slot | No |
CONNECTIVITY
| GPRS | No |
| EDGE | No |
| 3G | No |
| 4G | No |
| 5G | No |
| Wifi | Yes |
| Bluetooth | Yes, v5.0, A2DP, EDR |
| USB | Yes, USB-C |
| USB Features | USB on-the-go, USB Charging |
EXTRA
| GPS | Yes, with A-GPS, GNSS |
| Fingerprint Sensor | Yes, Side |
| Face Unlock | Yes |
| Sensors | Accelerometer, Gyro, Compass, Barometer |
| 3.5mm Headphone Jack | No |
CAMERA
| Rear Camera | 12 MP f/1.8 (Wide Angle) with autofocus |
| Features | Digital zoom up to 5x, Five-element lens, Smart HDR 3, Panorama, Photo Geotagging, Burst mode |
| Video Recording | 4K @ 24/30/60 fps UHD, 1080p @ 30 fps FHD |
| Front Camera | 12 MP f/2.4 (Main) |
| Front Video Recording | 1080p @ 25/30/60 fps FHD |
TECHNICAL
| OS | iOS v15 |
| Chipset | Apple M1 |
| CPU | Octa Core Processor |
| GPU | Apple GPU (8-core graphics) |
| Java | No |
| Browser | Yes |
MULTIMEDIA
| Yes | |
| Music | Yes |
| Video | Yes |
| FM Radio | No |
| Document Reader | Yes |
BATTERY
| Type | Non-Removable Battery |
| Size | Li-Po Battery |
| Fast Charging | Yes, 20W USB‑C Power Adapter |
| Talk Time | 10 hours |
FAQs
What new chipsets are expected in the iPad lineup?
Apple is planning to integrate the M1 chipset into the baseline iPad and the faster M2 chipset into the iPad Air. The iPad Mini is rumored to get the A16 Bionic chipset.
When is the OLED iPad Pro expected?
The next-generation OLED iPad Pro models are likely to launch in the latter half of 2024.
Will there be design changes?
Current reports indicate that the design will remain the same, though the jelly-scrolling issue in the iPad Mini is expected to be fixed.
Is Apple planning a special event for the launch?
Given the minor updates, a full-scale event is unlikely. Apple has previously refreshed iPads without special events.
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