New iPads expected in 2024, including iPad Pro, Air, and Mini

For the first time since the launch of the original iPad, there were no new iPads in 2023. A recent event revealed the M3 family of chips with some new MacBook Pro models. However, we didn’t get any new iPads this year, and we only got a new, underwhelming USB Type C Apple Pencil.

A Mark Gurman report from Bloomberg describes how Apple is looking to increase its revenue. iPad shipments are currently at an all-time low, and the demand for iPads is considerably low at the moment. We can associate this with the lack of new models in 2024. Shoppers currently have absolutely no reason to upgrade to a new iPad. The report states that Apple is going to revamp the entire iPad portfolio in 2024.

The last update we got to the iPad Pro was in October 2022, and this was a very minor update. It got a boost from the M1 chip to the M2 chip and also got new media engines. There was a new feature where the M2 iPad Pro could shoot Pro Res video, and there’s an Apple Pencil Hover feature, which is mostly useful for digital art professionals.

The base iPad got an upgrade at the same time. It has a completely new design and moves away from the home button and traditional bezels. It resembles the design of the iPad Air, and it has the A14 Bionic chip; it got an upgrade to the USB C port, but it still doesn’t get a laminated display.

The last iPad Air upgrade was in March 2022, and it was just a chip bump from the A14 Bionic to the M1. Finally, an upgrade to the iPad Mini is long overdue. The last time it got a new model, the iPad Mini 6, was in September 2021.

According to some older reports from Mark Gurman, we’ll get multiple new iPad models in March 2024. Apple will apparently discontinue the 9th generation iPad and also the first generation Apple Pencil. It will officially no longer have any devices with a lightning port, though moving the accessories over will take more time.

Mark Gurman expects at least three new iPads in March 2024. We’re not sure whether the Pro model will be a part of this. The 11″ and 12.9″ iPad Pro models could finally get high-end OLED panels, moving away from Mini LED. The 11th-generation iPad might get a chip bump to the A15 Bionic chip or even the A16 chip.

The iPad Mini will probably get the A16 Bionic chip as well, and maybe some minor overall upgrades. We expect the M2 chip for the upcoming 6th-gen iPad Air. Finally, the Pro models will get the new 3nm M3 chip that’s on the 14″ MacBook Pro.

However, one interesting change to the base iPad was the placement of the front camera. It’s now in landscape orientation and not portrait. Future iPad models from Apple might get this new placement as well.

According to an old report from a very reliable leaker, Ming-Chi Kuo, the foldable iPad Mini is very unlikely to launch anytime soon. A foldable iPad Mini won’t target the same market. The expenses will probably be out of reach for a majority of iPad Mini buyers. It’s unreasonable to expect a foldable iPad Mini in the foreseeable future. A new iPad Mini with a new processor (A16 Bionic) will probably start shipping in Q1 2024, according to the same report.