Apple’s entry-level iPad model will gain Apple Intelligence features in late 2025, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. Gurman’s comments came in the latest edition of his Power ON newsletter.
Gurman says an iPhone SE update is expected to bring Apple Intelligence features to the SE in March 2025, with the entry-level iPad following “later in the year.” Gurman indicated that nearly every Apple device with a screen will offer Apple Intelligence support by 2026.
The entry-level iPad has not been updated since October 2022. This could be due to Apple working to implement AI capabilities in a budget-friendly $349 device.
The current 10th-generation iPad is powered by an A14 chip, which first made an appearance in the iPhone 12 lineup, so it has no prayer when it comes to handling Apple Intelligence. If Apple uses the A16 chip that was first used in its iPhone 15 models, the new iPad could handle AI, although using an A17 Pro or A18 chip could future-proof the entry-level iPad a bit better.
Last week, Apple unveiled the newest iPad mini, which offers Apple Intelligence compatibility, while also lowering the price of the existing base iPad, while no longer providing a charger in the box with the tablet in the European Union. This made it highly unlikely that Apple is expecting to release an iPad 11 any time soon.