According to previous information from Bloomberg (via Macrumors), Apple plans to launch the twelfth generation budget pipad in the spring of 2026. The design is expected to be unchanged, but the performance is raised with the new chip.
The current 11-inch model uses A16 and costs from SEK 4,495. The A18 chip is already in the iPhone 16E, iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus, and means a clear lift compared to the A16 which first sat in the iPhone 14 Pro. The processor has, among other things, a 16-core neural engine for AI tasks, which means that even the cheaper iPad model can support Apple Intelligence.
In the same vein, code references were also found to:
- a new Homepod Mini with S9 chip or later
- A new Apple TV with A17 Pro
- a new studio display with A19 Pro
- A new iPad Mini with A19 Pro
- A new entry-level IPAD with A18
- A new Vision Pro with M5
- Apple Watch Series 11, Ultra 3 and see 3 with S11
Apple usually updates its simpler iPad every spring, even if the exact time varied between different years.
