The Tool Desk
Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →I feel like I have written this story before. And you probably feel like you have read it before. But here we are again. Apple is about to refresh the iPad lineup, and once more, the headline is not design, not features, not ambition. It is silicon.
According to the latest reports, Apple is preparing new versions of the entry-level iPad and the iPad Air, likely landing very soon, possibly as early as March.
Let’s get the facts straight first. The base iPad is expected to move from the A16 chip to the A18. The iPad Air is set to jump from M3 to M4. That’s it. No redesign ror dramatic new display tech.
If you were hoping for Face ID on the Air, or ProMotion, or some kind of “this finally feels new” moment, this is not that refresh. The physical experience stays largely the same. And yet, I think the base iPad upgrade is rhe most important part of this story.
#1 Best Overall
- WHY IPAD — The 11-inch iPad is now more capable than ever with the superfast A16 chip, a stunning Liquid Retina display, advanced cameras, fast Wi-Fi, USB-C connector, and four gorgeous colors.* iPad delivers a powerful way to create, stay connected, and get things done.
- PERFORMANCE AND STORAGE — The superfast A16 chip delivers a boost in performance for your favorite activities. And with all-day battery life, iPad is perfect for playing immersive games and editing photos and videos.* Storage starts at 128GB and goes up to 512GB.*
- 11-INCH LIQUID RETINA DISPLAY — The gorgeous Liquid Retina display is an amazing way to watch movies or draw your next masterpiece.* True Tone adjusts the display to the color temperature of the room to make viewing comfortable in any light.
- IPADOS + APPS — iPadOS makes iPad more productive, intuitive, and versatile. With iPadOS, run multiple apps at once, use Apple Pencil to write in any text field with Scribble, and edit and share photos.* iPad comes with essential apps like Safari, Messages, and Keynote, with over a million more apps designed specifically for iPad available on the App Store.
- FAST WI-FI CONNECTIVITY — Wi-Fi 6 gives you fast access to your files, uploads, and downloads, and lets you seamlessly stream your favorite shows.
The Real Reason Apple is Doing This
The A18 matters because it unlocks Apple Intelligence. Right now, the cheapest iPad in Apple’s lineup cannot run Apple’s new AI features. That is awkward for a company that wants AI to feel like the future of everything it sells. Moving the base iPad to A18 fixes that gap instantly.
This is classic Apple housekeeping. Clean up the lineup. Remove the obvious weak link. Make sure the cheapest iPad can sit in a store next to an iPhone or Mac and not look technically embarrassed.
Rank #2
- WHY IPAD — The 11-inch iPad is now more capable than ever with the superfast A16 chip, a stunning Liquid Retina display, advanced cameras, fast Wi-Fi, USB-C connector, and four gorgeous colors.* iPad delivers a powerful way to create, stay connected, and get things done.
- PERFORMANCE AND STORAGE — The superfast A16 chip delivers a boost in performance for your favorite activities. And with all-day battery life, iPad is perfect for playing immersive games and editing photos and videos.* Storage starts at 128GB and goes up to 512GB.*
- 11-INCH LIQUID RETINA DISPLAY — The gorgeous Liquid Retina display is an amazing way to watch movies or draw your next masterpiece.* True Tone adjusts the display to the color temperature of the room to make viewing comfortable in any light.
- IPADOS + APPS — iPadOS makes iPad more productive, intuitive, and versatile. With iPadOS, run multiple apps at once, use Apple Pencil to write in any text field with Scribble, and edit and share photos.* iPad comes with essential apps like Safari, Messages, and Keynote, with over a million more apps designed specifically for iPad available on the App Store.
- FAST WI-FI CONNECTIVITY — Wi-Fi 6 gives you fast access to your files, uploads, and downloads, and lets you seamlessly stream your favorite shows.
From a buyer’s perspective, this is actually good news. If you are a student, a parent, or someone buying their first iPad, you are getting something far more future-proof than last year’s model without paying Pro prices.
The iPad Air Problem Nobody Wants to Talk About
Now let’s talk about the iPad Air, because this is where my enthusiasm dips. Yes, M4 is powerful. Yes, it sounds impressive on a spec sheet. But I keep asking the same question every year. Who is this for, exactly?
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- WHY IPAD — The 11-inch iPad is now more capable than ever with the superfast A16 chip, a stunning Liquid Retina display, advanced cameras, fast Wi-Fi, USB-C connector, and four gorgeous colors.* iPad delivers a powerful way to create, stay connected, and get things done.
- PERFORMANCE AND STORAGE — The superfast A16 chip delivers a boost in performance for your favorite activities. And with all-day battery life, iPad is perfect for playing immersive games and editing photos and videos.* Storage starts at 128GB and goes up to 512GB.*
- 11-INCH LIQUID RETINA DISPLAY — The gorgeous Liquid Retina display is an amazing way to watch movies or draw your next masterpiece.* True Tone adjusts the display to the color temperature of the room to make viewing comfortable in any light.
- IPADOS + APPS — iPadOS makes iPad more productive, intuitive, and versatile. With iPadOS, run multiple apps at once, use Apple Pencil to write in any text field with Scribble, and edit and share photos.* iPad comes with essential apps like Safari, Messages, and Keynote, with over a million more apps designed specifically for iPad available on the App Store.
- FAST WI-FI CONNECTIVITY — Wi-Fi 6 gives you fast access to your files, uploads, and downloads, and lets you seamlessly stream your favorite shows.
The iPad Air already sits in a strange middle ground. It is far more powerful than most people need, but still held back by software choices that stop it from fully replacing a laptop for many users. Jumping from M3 to M4 does not meaningfully change that reality.
In fact, if you already own a Mac and an iPhone, the iPad often ends up feeling less like an upgrade and more like an in-between device that never earns its place. This is something I’ve explored before when looking at whether most people actually need an iPad at all.
Rank #4
- WHY IPAD — The 11-inch iPad is now more capable than ever with the superfast A16 chip, a stunning Liquid Retina display, advanced cameras, fast Wi-Fi, USB-C connector, and four gorgeous colors.* iPad delivers a powerful way to create, stay connected, and get things done.
- PERFORMANCE AND STORAGE — The superfast A16 chip delivers a boost in performance for your favorite activities. And with all-day battery life, iPad is perfect for playing immersive games and editing photos and videos.* Storage starts at 128GB and goes up to 512GB.*
- 11-INCH LIQUID RETINA DISPLAY — The gorgeous Liquid Retina display is an amazing way to watch movies or draw your next masterpiece.* True Tone adjusts the display to the color temperature of the room to make viewing comfortable in any light.
- IPADOS + APPS — iPadOS makes iPad more productive, intuitive, and versatile. With iPadOS, run multiple apps at once, use Apple Pencil to write in any text field with Scribble, and edit and share photos.* iPad comes with essential apps like Safari, Messages, and Keynote, with over a million more apps designed specifically for iPad available on the App Store.
- FAST WI-FI CONNECTIVITY — Wi-Fi 6 gives you fast access to your files, uploads, and downloads, and lets you seamlessly stream your favorite shows.
If you bought an iPad Air recently, there is almost no reason to care about this update unless you are chasing benchmarks for fun. Apple knows this, which is probably why it is not trying to oversell the upgrade.
One thing worth calling out is that some outlets have muddied the waters around displays, with hints of OLED being casually mentioned alongside iPad Air discussions. Others are clear that OLED is more likely tied to future iPad Pro or possibly iPad mini updates, not this refresh.
Best Value
- WHY IPAD PRO — iPad Pro with the Apple M5 chip delivers extraordinary performance for effortless productivity on a stunning display. Take on pro workflows with Neural Accelerators for AI and a redesigned iPadOS with game-changing capabilities.*
- PERFORMANCE AND STORAGE — iPad Pro with M5 brings next-generation speed and the power of on-device AI to all your tasks.* Featuring up to 2TB of storage, 16GB of memory, and Neural Accelerators for next-level AI performance.*
- IPADOS — Run pro apps and get more done with iPadOS 26 with Liquid Glass design and game-changing capabilities.* With an intuitive and flexible windowing system, you can control, organize, and manage your workflows like never before.
- APPLE INTELLIGENCE — Apple Intelligence is the personal intelligence system that helps you communicate, express yourself, and get things done effortlessly with groundbreaking privacy protections at every step.*
- 13-INCH ULTRA RETINA XDR DISPLAY — The world’s most advanced display, featuring extreme brightness, precise contrast, ProMotion, P3 wide color, and True Tone.* Nano-texture display glass available in 1TB and 2TB configurations
If you are confused, you are not alone. Apple’s iPad roadmap has become harder to read than it needs to be, and this refresh does not make it clearer.
This feels like an update Apple had to do, not one it was excited to do. The base iPad upgrade is genuinely smart and necessary. It makes the entry iPad finally feel aligned with Apple’s AI story. That is a win for everyday users. The iPad Air update, though, feels like motion without momentum. Faster, sure. More compelling, not really.
What I am looking forward to is not the launch event or the spec sheet. It is whether Apple gives iPadOS a reason to exist alongside all this silicon. Because right now, Apple keeps giving the iPad a faster engine while still being unsure where it actually wants the vehicle to go. And that, more than any chip upgrade, is the real story.
