Code references disclosed by accident by Apple itself suggests that a budget friendly iPad is in the works, which will be powered by the A18 Chip. According to previous reports, Apple is aiming to release an entry-level 12th generation iPad by next year featuring the same design but with a faster processor for the device.
The 11-inch iPad with an A16 chip is the current model for the 11-inch iPad with a starting price of $349. The A18 chip is powering the iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 and the iPhone 16e. Integrating this into the iPad will bring substantial upgrades in performance compared to the current model with the A16 chip. The A16 chip features a design made for AI workloads, along with a 16-core Neural Engine allowing for features of Apple Intelligence to be supported on the device.
The current iPad was released last year in March. Apple updates their budget-friendly iPad each year, usually during the first half.
