Apple plans to refresh almost its entire iPad range in the first half of 2027, and according to information from Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman, three new models are expected — the base iPad, iPad Air and iPad Pro. All significant updates will be concentrated in the first six months of that year, while Apple does not plan to present new iPads in the second half of 2027.
The biggest changes are expected for the iPad Air and iPad Pro, which should receive OLED screens. The iPad Air would thus transition from the current LCD screen with a refresh rate of 60 Hz to OLED technology. The current 11 and 13-inch iPad Air models were presented in March this year with an M4 SoC and 12 GB of RAM, but it is not yet known which SoC will power the new model. The M5 emerges as a likely candidate.
For the iPad Pro, the biggest novelty should be the introduction of a vapour chamber cooling system, which should enable high performance to be maintained for longer during demanding tasks that significantly burden the processor. Gurman reported in October last year that the 2027 iPad Pro would get the M6, and Apple has since presented that chip in the 14-inch MacBook Pro and iMac.
The base iPad should receive a significant hardware upgrade. It is expected to have an A19 SoC and 8 GB of RAM, while the current model uses an A16 paired with 6 GB of RAM and does not support Apple Intelligence features. The new base iPad should also have Apple's N1 network chip with Wi-Fi 7 support and a C1X modem for connecting to 5G networks in mobile versions of the device. These specifications were previously found in Apple's code.
As a reminder, Apple presented a new iPad Mini with an OLED screen and A20 Pro SoC last week, marking the gradual introduction of OLED technology across the entire iPad line.
