Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman earlier this month said we can expect to see Apple update its entire iPad lineup during 2024, meaning we can expect to see new versions of the iPad Pro, iPad Air, iPad mini, and entry-level iPad next year. Earlier today, we shared information about what we might see from the iPad mini. In this article, we’ll cover what features we can expect from the 2024 iPad Air.
The iPad Air has not been updated since March 2022, when it received a then-new M1 chip, 5G cellular connectivity (on select models), a USB-C port, a 12-megapixel front camera, and new color options.
In addition to the usual 10.9-inch iPad Air, many expect to see a new 12.9-inch model debut next year during the first half of the year.
Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo also earlier this month said the company has plans to add a larger 12.9-inch iPad Air as a part of an entirely refreshed iPad lineup in 2024.
Kuo predicted that Apple will update all of its existing iPad lineup, starting with a refreshed 10.9-inch and new 12.9-inch iPad Air, powered by new chips, which he says is scheduled to begin mass production in the first quarter of 2024.
Kuo says the 12.9-inch iPad Air will sport an LCD screen that will not use the mini-LED technology of Apple’s current iPad Pro models but will use the same oxide backplane. This will offer better display performance than the current 10.9-inch iPad Air which uses an a-Si backplane.
We can expect to see the new iPad Air model to be powered by Apple’s M2 chip, which will provide improved performance and power efficiency over the M1 chip being used in the current model. Apple updated its iPad Pro with an M2 chip back in October 2022.
The next iPad Air models will also likely offer support for Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3, enabling faster Wi-Fi speeds with a supported router, and improved Bluetooth connectivity.
While both Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E are both improved wireless technologies, they cater to different spectrums and use cases. Wi-Fi 6, or 802.11ax, operates in the traditional 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequency bands (improving data transmission efficiency in these bands, making it more suitable for activities like streaming and gaming).
Wi-Fi 6E operates in the less congested 6 GHz frequency band and can the advantage of a broader spectrum, reducing congestion, and offering more channels for data transmission. This means the 6 GHz band has less congestion, less interference, lower latency, and improved performance.
Kuo said he expects to see the new 10.9-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Air models start mass production in the first quarter of 2024, meaning that the devices should launch sometime during the first half of the year.
