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Apple iPad Air 6 rumors: Everything we know so far and what we want to see
The iPad Air series is one of the most popular tablets offered by Apple, offering some of the best specs outside of the iPad Pro. The iPad Air 5 launched in March of 2022, making it over a year old. How much longer will it be until we see the iPad Air 6? While we don’t know that for sure just yet, let’s take a look at some of the leaks and rumors surrounding Apple’s next iPad Air.
- When is it expected to come out? There's no official release date yet, but it's believed it could come in the second week of May.
- What new features could there be? It's expected the tablet will upgrade to an M2 chip and introduce a 12.9-inch variant.
- How much might it cost? It's unknown what the price could be, but Apple could stick with the $599 price tag.
Will there be an Apple iPad Air 6?
Unless Apple suddenly retires the Air product line (again!), we will eventually see an iPad Air (6th generation). What’s less clear is when.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman said that his sources pointed towards a 2023 release for the new iPad Air 6, with Apple potentially opting for a “press release” announcement, rather than a big event. However, Apple’s two 2023 events of the fall, “Wonderlust” and “Scary Fast,” have come and gone.
But new model numbers believed to be connected to iPads were spotted by 91mobiles on the BIS certification website. These iPads carry the model numbers A2836 and A2837. The listing doesn’t identify what iPads these model numbers go with, but given the circulating rumors, it’s expected they relate to the iPad Air and iPad Pro.
Springing new hope for an announcement, Apple revealed it will be holding a “Let Loose” event on May 7. The event is scheduled to start at 7 a.m. PT and will be held virtually. It could be at this event when Apple finally unveils the iPad Air 6.
There haven’t been many solid rumors about the Air 6. For what it’s worth, the same situation also seems to apply to the iPad Mini 7. The odds are fairly good the two models might just launch at the same time. Too bad we don’t know when that is just yet.
What is the most likely Apple iPad Air 6 release date?
- iPad Air 3 — March 18, 2019
- iPad Air 4 — September 15, 2020
- iPad Air 5 — March 18, 2022
The iPad Air originally launched in 2013 and saw its first successor a year later. Then, the iPad Air series was pushed into the background and left for dead until years later with the launch of the iPad Air 3rd gen.
Since then, we’ve had two other iPad Air models. The Air 4 was released a year after the iPad Air 3, while the iPad Air 5 arrived 18 months later. Given the erratic release cadence, it’s hard to say exactly when it might be released.
However, Apple expert Mark Gurman says Apple was planning an end-of-March or early April launch, but the company was still busy with tweaking the software. Gurman now predicts that an early May release is most likely.
What rumored specs and features could the Apple iPad Air 6 have?
Now that the rumor mill has picked up a little steam, we have a few expectations for the device. Although details remain light, we’ll divulge everything we’ve heard so far.
There have been rumors suggesting that Apple will release the iPad Air 6 in two different sizes: 10.9 inches and 12.9 inches. This was further corroborated by tipster Instant Digital on Weibo, who says two models are shipping to overseas customers. Interestingly, the tipster also claimed that “Everything is ready” for launch.
In April 2024, a well-known accessory manufacturer for phones and tablets, ESR, put up listings for iPad Air tablet cases on Amazon. In total, ESR has three cases listed on Amazon, and the descriptions refer to a 2024 iPad Air. All three products are designed for the larger 12.9-inch model. It’s important to keep in mind that the images ESR is using likely aren’t renders of the iPad Air 6, but just images created off of guesses.
Bloomberg also reports that the latest iteration of the Air will have a 12.9-inch version. It adds that the tablet is expected to upgrade to an M2 processor, up from the M1.
Something else we could be in store for is a landscape selfie camera. A rumor from @VNchocoTaco on X (formerly Twitter) claims that the tablet won’t see a big redesign, “except for the addition of a new landscape selfie camera.” The tipster also claims that Apple could drop either pink or blue from the existing color lineup. That lineup includes Space Gray, Starlight, Pink, Purple, and Blue.
As for the dimensions, we could be looking at 280.6mm x 214.9mm x 6.0mm for the 12.9-inch variant, according to 9to5Mac’s sources. For a comparison, the model the Air 5 measured 247.6mm x 178.5mm x 6.1mm.
What might the Apple iPad Air 6 price be?
- iPad Air 3 — $499
- iPad Air 4 — $599
- iPad Air 5 — $599
Apple has been tight-lipped as far as the iPad Air 6 is concerned. Similar to how there are few details about the specs, there’s not really any solid information about the price. With a lack of information, all we can do is make an educated guess based on previous trends. Seeing as the Air has sold for $599 the last two years and the device is expected to remain a mid-tier option, we would not be surprised if the price sticks at $599.
Should you wait for the Apple iPad Air 6?
If you don’t need a new tablet right now and are sold on the Air family, I’d wait at least until the end of the year.
If you’re looking for a new tablet right now and are absolutely sold on getting an iPad, the iPad Air 5 ($559 at Amazon) remains a great choice for many. What if you want more power? The simplest way to get it right now would be to upgrade to an iPad Pro ($786 at Amazon), which will bump you to the M2 and many other improvements. Of course, it’s also pretty pricey, starting at $799.99.
Don’t mind exploring outside of the iPad camp? Be sure to check out our guides to the best Android tablets and the best cheap Android tablets for even more options.
Which upgrade would you like to see most on the iPad Air 6?
Apple iPad Air 6: Features we want to see
A better display with at least a 90Hz refresh rate
While the iPad Air 5 has a great display with plenty of brightness and solar colors, its low 60Hz refresh rate definitely holds it back. While I don’t think Apple would move up to 120Hz unless it has a massive change in store for the next Pro model, I do think a 90Hz panel would still be a nice upgrade.
A horizontal camera, just like the iPad
The 2021 iPad might be an entry device, but it has one thing very right: the front camera. Instead of sticking to a vertical alignment, there’s a landscape camera on the iPad.
In a post-pandemic world, video conferencing has become more important than ever. And let’s face it, vertical video doesn’t look very professional. It also feels a bit awkwardly placed for those who are already using their iPad as a pseudo-laptop, thanks to the Magic Keyboard.
Despite how obviously useful this change would be, the iPad Air 5 debuted in 2022 without adopting the same camera layout. While there haven’t been any rumors about it yet, I strongly hope the iPad Air 6 corrects this mistake.
Better storage configurations
64GB of storage in 2023 is absolutely dismal, especially since the OS takes over 10GB of space. What’s worse, 64GB has been way too little for years without Apple doing anything!
The iPad Air 5 offers just 64GB and 256GB options, but I’m hoping against hope that Apple finally moves on. I’d love to see the 64GB base model replaced with a 128GB variant. In addition to the 128GB and 256GB storage sizes, I’d also like to see something in the 512GB to 1TB range as well.