Apple Plans 2026 iPad, iPad Air Upgrades with A19, M4 Chips

Apple plans to refresh its entry-level iPad and iPad Air models in 2026 with significant processor upgrades, according to reports based on an internal company code document. The updates, revealed in a pre-release build of iOS 26, mark a notable shift in performance for the more affordable tablets, potentially enabling advanced features like Apple Intelligence on the base model.

The 12th-generation iPad, often referred to as the standard or entry-level model, is expected to feature the A19 chip, the same processor powering the iPhone 17 lineup. This represents a substantial improvement over the current 11th-generation iPad, which uses the A16 chip from the iPhone 14 series. Reports indicate the A19 will deliver approximately 50 percent more processing power, along with an increase to 8GB of RAM from the current 6GB. These enhancements should improve multitasking, gaming, and overall performance for everyday tasks.

For the first time, the base iPad would gain compatibility with Apple Intelligence, Apple's suite of AI-driven features currently unavailable on the A16-equipped model due to hardware limitations. The new iPad is also slated to incorporate Apple's custom N1 wireless...