2020 has been a big year for the iPad Air, with the arrival of the fourth generation of the Tablet with a complete redesign, an increase in screen size and, inevitably, a price increase.
Aside from that price increase, the iPad Air 4 offered an experience of premium tablets featuring the same screen design as the iPad Pro line and was the first Apple product to feature a Touch ID sensor on the power button.
In 2022, it is already starting to show signs of its age and Apple should decide to renew it soon. But what can we expect from the iPad Air 5? Below, we round up all the rumors about the next generation iPad Air.
When will the new iPad Air go on sale?
While the iPhone and Apple Watch generally receive annual updates, the same cannot be said for the iPad Air. In fact, compared to the rest of tablets Apple’s current releases, the iPad Air release history is quite sporadic:
- iPad Air (1st generation): November 2013
- iPad Air (2nd generation): October 2014
- iPad Air (3rd generation): March 2018
- iPad Air (4th generation): October 2020
Most likely, the new iPad Air will arrive in 2022. Ming-Chi Kuo points this out, information supported by a report from ETNewswhich indicates that the iPad Air with an OLED screen will arrive this year.
The Japanese Tech Blog Mac Otakara is a bit more specific, stating that the new iPad Air will launch in spring 2022 alongside the iPhone SE 3, citing a “trusted source in China”. A later report suggests both products have already entered production.
A report of Gizchina claims there are references to the iPhone SE 3 in an iOS 15.4 beta, lending more credence to the idea that the iPhone and iPad could be revealed at the same time, and that’s coming soon .
A report of Bloomberg from early February 2022 is even more specific, suggesting that Apple was planning an event around March 8 to officially unveil the new iPad Air alongside the updated 5G iPhone SE and possibly even a new Mac.
Now, Apple has already confirmed the celebration of its spring event (titled Performance Overview) the March 8, 2022so the rumor carries a lot of weight.
On the other hand, iPhone SE and iPad Air 5 test pages have also appeared on the internet, leaked by Evan Blass via 91Mobiles, apparently being developed by “one of Asia’s leading mobile networks”. The lessor even provided screenshots to back up the claim.
That said, it’s looking increasingly likely that we’ll see the iPad Air 5 at Apple’s March event.
How much will the new iPad Air cost?
The iPad Air saw a significant price increase when the redesigned model was introduced in October 2020, going from a starting price of $549 to $599, an increase of $50.
Here’s what the current iPad Air lineup costs:
- iPad Air (64 GB, Wi-Fi): $649
- iPad Air (256 GB, Wi-Fi): $819
- iPad Air (64 GB, Wi-Fi + Cellular): $789
- iPad Air (256 GB, Wi-Fi + Cellular): $959
It’s been a while since the price hike and Apple no longer wants to blur the lines between the iPad Air and the 11″ iPad Pro. That’s why we believe Apple will maintain its current price when the 5th iPad Air generation will arrive, so a base price of 649 $ should be expected.
What new features will the iPad Air 5 bring?
Although it hasn’t been confirmed yet, we have an idea of what we can expect from this year’s iPad Air thanks to the various leaks and rumors floating around.
OLED pants
The main improvement for the fifth-generation iPad Air could be an improved OLED display, which offers a more vivid experience and deeper blacks than the LCD technology currently used in the iPad Air lineup.
According to ETNewsSamsung and LG will supply the OLED panels for the iPad, as well as the iPhone and Apple Watch from 2022, with the iPad Air being the most likely candidate for the first upgrade.
Ming-Chi Kuo also claimed that the next iPad Air will come with an OLED display, explaining that although OLED technology is more expensive to produce than the Mini-LED used in the Pro line, the risk of the OLED burning out for hours on end of using a single application to work is too great.
iPad Air users, on the other hand, typically don’t use a single app for hours on end, making OLED burning less risky and an ideal candidate for the technology.
However, Kuo updated his forecast months later, in October 2021, suggesting that OLED technology won’t be coming to the iPad Air at all in 2022, citing performance and cost issues that don’t meet the expectations. company expectations.
Instead, the analyst predicts that the Tablet updated will likely come out with the same LCD technology as the existing model.
This was later corroborated by Mark Gurman of Bloombergwho suggested that while an OLED variant was in development, it has since been put on hold.
Improved 3nm chipset
Although it is speculated that the next iPad Air will have a chipset more powerful, a ratio of Nikkei Asia suggests that Apple will launch an iPad in 2022 that could feature a chipset 3nm improved. Its launch is scheduled for the second half of the year.
Although Apple is likely to launch the chipset 3nm in the iPad Pro, Apple tends to renew the Pro in the first half, which suggests that the chipset it might appear first on the iPad Air.
According to TSMC, 3nm technology offers a 10% to 15% increase in performance compared to a chipset 5nm (like the A14 Bionic). Moreover, it improves battery efficiency by 25%-30%.
Considering the impressive performance offered by the current iPad Air, and if its promises are true, this would be an impressive leap in performance.
Mark Gurman, the Bloombergsuggests the iPad Air will likely feature the A15 or A16 Bionic, and the final decision may depend on chip availability, as Apple has already cut production of the iPad mini by competing with the iPhone 13 with A15 chips. .
Improvements in iPadOS
While we don’t know much about the improvements the next generation iPad Air will offer, we’re sure it will run iPadOS 15.
The latest iPad-focused update, released in September 2021, introduced a number of long-awaited features, such as the ability to place widget anywhere on the home screen. The widget they also benefit from the larger screen, with more information on the screen.
App Library, another feature introduced by Apple in iOS 14, also made its way to iPadOS 15. Accessible via a new icon in the Dock, it offers an overview of all installed apps, smartly categorized into different folders.
There’s also an update to Swift Playgrounds, the app that teaches kids to code in Swift, and enthusiastic coders can build, test, and submit iPhone and iPad apps to the App Store right from the iPad itself. same.
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