Apple is planning three iPad updates for the first half of 2027, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman: a better entry-level iPad, an iPad Air with an OLED screen and a faster iPad Pro. Unless something slips, he does not expect any major iPad changes in the second half of the year.
Gurman gave the timing in a reader Q&A in his Power On newsletter today, days after Apple introduced the OLED iPad mini for $699. He says the company will now turn its attention to its other tablets.
The Entry-Level iPad Is Overdue After a Price Hike
Gurman says the upgraded low-end tablet is much needed, because a recent price hike put it far above competing tablets. Apple raised iPad prices by 15 to 25 percent in June, citing a memory chip shortage that Micron expects to last through 2027. Amazon’s new Alexa Tablets have added competition at the low end.
The tablet Apple sells today is the 11-inch iPad with an A16 chip, and it is the only model in the lineup without Apple Intelligence support. An earlier report said the next one could add Apple Intelligence with an A19 chip, but Gurman did not give a chip, price or design for the new model. We reported earlier that the entry-level iPad was not due until early 2027.
The iPad Air Moves to OLED to Match the iPad Mini
Gurman says the refreshed iPad Air moves to OLED in order to match the iPad mini, which now has an 8.5-inch OLED display and an A20 Pro chip. The iPad Air sold today uses an M4 chip, and an OLED iPad Air for 2027 was reported earlier.
That earlier supply chain report said the iPad Air would use a cost-efficient single-stack OLED panel instead of the dual-layer panel in the iPad Pro, which could leave higher refresh rates and peak brightness as Pro-only features. Panel production was expected to start in late 2026 or early 2027, which pointed to a launch in March or May. Gurman only says the first half of the year.
The iPad Pro Is Likely to Gain a Vapor Chamber
The iPad Pro sold today uses an M5 chip. Gurman expects the next one to be faster, and he says the big change is likely to be a vapor chamber that keeps it cooler during gaming and intensive AI tasks. He first reported the iPad Pro vapor chamber in October 2025, and said then that it could help separate the Pro from the iPad Air.
All three tablets would arrive in the first half of the year, and Gurman expects the second half to be quiet for iPads unless the schedule slips.
