New iPad Pro and Air may launch soon (with a Pro price bump), but there's a wait for cheaper iPads

We’re expecting 2024 to be a big year when it comes to iPad launches, and we’ve now got a better idea of when the most expensive models – the next-gen iPad Pro and the iPad Air 6 – are going to be arriving.

This information comes from the usually reliable Mark Gurman at Bloomberg, who reckons these tablets are “probably” going to break cover the week starting May 6. As well as the iPad Pro and iPad Air, a new Magic Keyboard and new Apple Pencil are also being mentioned.

While Gurman has previously said May would be the month we’d see these new slates – a timeframe backed up by other rumors – this is the most precise prediction we’ve had yet.

As we’ve already heard, the new iPad Pro line is likely to switch to OLED for its display tech, just like the iPhone. According to Gurman, that will mean “higher price points”, but he doesn’t specify what they are; for reference the 12.9-inch iPad Pro launched in 2022 currently starts at $1,099 / £1,249 / AU$1,399, with the 11-inch version costing $799 / £899 / AU$1,899 and up.

A longer wait

iPad 10.9 2022 being held in a hand

The current entry-level iPad (Image credit: Future)

When it comes to the cheaper iPads – the entry-level iPad and the iPad mini – Gurman says these “won’t be coming before the end of the year at the earliest”. That’s something of a surprise considering that the iPad mini 7 was originally tipped to be turning up before the end of 2023, as the series hasn’t been refreshed since 2021.

As for the standard 10.9-inch iPad, that was last updated in 2022, with the iPad 11 widely tipped to be appearing this year. Based on what Gurman says, it sounds as though Apple might even wait until 2025 to refresh these models.

Don’t expect any big upgrades either: the iPad mini is apparently only getting a processor bump, while the entry-level iPad might just be a “cost-reduced version” of the 2022 edition (so more or less the same, but cheaper).

That’s a lot of iPads, and it’s going to be interesting to see how Apple positions them all in terms of features and price points. Check our iPad Pro 2024, iPad Air 6, iPad mini 7 and iPad 11 hubs to see all the rumors we’ve heard about these devices so far.

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