Apple’s basic iPad now looks set for 2027

Apple’s next entry-level iPad has slipped further out than previously expected. After saying in March that the device was “still coming this year,” Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman now reports that it is scheduled for release in the first quarter of 2027 at the earliest.

According to Gurman, the update will center on a faster processor rather than a redesign, making it sound like a straightforward spec bump. He also said the base iPad will continue to use an LCD display, even as the next iPad mini is expected to move to OLED.

There is still some uncertainty around the chip. Gurman previously said the device would use the A18, while Macworld’s Filipe Espósito said it would get the A19. Either way, the tablet would support Apple Intelligence, since both chips meet the reported minimum requirement of 8GB of RAM for those features. The current entry-level iPad uses an A16 chip with 6GB of RAM.

The timing shift comes just a month after Apple raised the entry-level iPad’s starting price worldwide. In the U.S., the model now starts at $449, up from $349.

Gurman also said Apple is planning broader iPad updates. He expects new 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Air models early next year, and has separately reported that new iPad Pro models are due in the same period. The iPad Air will eventually switch to OLED, though he did not say whether that change is coming in the next refresh.

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For now, Gurman’s roadmap points to a new iPad mini by October this year, followed by refreshed entry-level iPad, iPad Air, and iPad Pro models in the first half of next year.