2024 was a big year for iPad with a redesigned iPad Pro, updates across most of the lineup, and a big OS update with iPadOS 18. 2025 will look pretty similar, but on a smaller scale. Most iPads should at least receive a spec bump, and software features like Apple Intelligence will only get more useful as the year progresses.

iPad Air

The iPad Air is usually updated on something closer to a two-year time scale, but rumors suggest we’ll be seeing an updated model sometime in 2025. This update is expected to be a minor refresh that will provide an updated chip.. The current iPad Air being on the M2 chip makes it likely the 2025 model will receive the M3. It’s not impossible that it would get the M4, as we’re also expecting an iPad Pro chip update this year, but M3 feels like the most likely play here. This would bring much-improved graphics, including hardware ray tracing, to the iPad Air for the first time. Chip upgrades also include an update to the ISP, which means a some marginal improvement in photo and video capabilities, even if the hardware itself is likely to remain unchanged, year over year.

There were also rumors that we should expect to see a new Magic Keyboard for the iPad Air. Details are scarce, but it’s reasonable to assume that it will be heavily inspired by the Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro. If nothing else, I expect we’ll see this product add a function row. While I prefer the more rigid form factor of the Magic Keyboard case, I’d love to see the Magic Keyboard Folio become available as an option for other iPads outside of the iPad 10th generation. Some people prefer kickstand-style cases, and this one gives you the option to detach the keyboard and still make use of the stand (which is really all you need most of the time). I also love that it doesn’t cover the sides, keeping the case a minimal as possible.

iPad Pro

The iPad Pro should get refreshed sometime in Fall 2025. Side note: the iPad Pro has been on an 18-month refresh cycle for years, which means that after 2025, we won’t see the next iPad Pro until Spring 2027, at the earliest. This is expected. Keep that in mind when you’re reading the clickbait titles about how Apple forgot about the iPad Pro in 2026.

Given that the iPad Pro just received a substantial redesign in 2024, this update is expected to largely be a spec bump. I’d expect we’ll see the M5 chip become available in largely the same configurations that the M4 models today. And while I’d love to see a rethink of iPad Pro RAM and pricing, but this feels unlikely for 2025. Now that the base model MacBooks start at 16GB of RAM, it feels like the iPad Pro should do the same. Users shouldn’t need to spend $1900 to get a reasonable amount of RAM in 2025.

The 2025 iPad Pro may be among the first Apple products to use the new networking chips the company has been developing for years. Apple’s new combined Wifi/Bluetooth chip is expected to debut in 2025 in updates to the HomePod Mini and Apple TV. Apple’s new 5G modem that they’ve been working on for years is also expected to debut in 2025.

While neither of these chips is specifically rumored for this year’s iPad Pro, the Pro is often one of the products Apple picks to try out new technologies. The 2022 iPad Pro was the first Apple product to support Wifi 6E, for example. The 12.9 inch M1 iPad Pro was the first Apple product to use a display with Mini-LED backlighting. In Apple’s product lineup, the iPad Pro is something of a low-volume product (due to its price). So, it’s a great product to try new technology in at scale, but not at iPhone scale.

iPad (11th Generation)

After a couple of years with no new updates, the 11th-generation iPad is expected to debut in the first half of 2025. I would expect to see a spec bump that will look pretty similar to the upgrade that the iPad Mini just received. This iPad needs to get just enough grunt to support Apple Intelligence, without increasing the price of the product (ideally). I would not be at all surprised to see the A17 Pro and its 8GB of RAM make it to the iPad 11. Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 support would come along for the ride if this iPad does indeed get this chip.

There’s a bit of a question mark around Apple Pencil support. Every other model in the lineup supports two different Apple Pencils: the Apple Pencil (USB-C) and the Apple Pencil Pro. The base iPad is the only model that doesn’t have the magnetic charging coils on the landscape edge of the device to support charging and pairing for the Apple Pencil. I think Apple would like to offer two Pencil options for each model, so they’ll either:

• Option 1: Continue selling the 1st generation Apple Pencil + adapter as an option for iPad 11 alongside Apple Pencil (USB-C)
• Option 2: Only offer Apple Pencil (USB-C) for iPad 11
• Option 3: Add the charging coils to allow the base model to have Apple Pencil Pro support.

I think Apple should add support for the Apple Pencil Pro for the iPad 11. The haptic feedback alone makes it a worthwhile upgrade. However, I actually expect them to go with option 1. That way, if you want an Apple Pencil that supports pressure sensitivity, you have that option.

iPad Mini

The iPad Mini is not expected to see any hardware updates in 2025, having just received a spec bump in October 2024. The next time we will see it updated, likely in 2026, expect to see the Mini finally make the jump to an OLED display. Apple is expected to use a 60Hz panel, though maybe the unsubstantiated rumors of Apple looking at 90Hz displays for some of its products will apply here.

iPadOS 19

We’re still early in the operating system development lifecycle, so there aren’t many rumors about what to expect from the next version of iPadOS or iOS. However, Mark Gurman suggests we might see an LLM-powered Siri debut sometime during the iPadOS 19 lifecycle—possibly in the first half of 2026.

For now, we can get a preview of that experience with the optional ChatGPT integration in iPadOS 18.2. I’m hoping we’ll additional chatbot integrations, like with Gemini, become available in the near future. I’m one of those people who believes not every company needs to do everything. That’s why I prefer when Apple partners with other companies to handle things outside its core competencies.

Swift Playgrounds or XCode?

Normally, Swift Playgrounds gets an SDK update sometime before the end of the year. This did not happen in 2024, which means developers can’t take advantage of the latest APIs in the iPadOS 18 SDK. I like to think that they didn’t bother doing this because they’ve been busy working on a big update that will add some of the basic features this app needs for developers to really use this as a tool. This app really isn’t far off from being able to just be called XCode for iPad.

In reality, the Playgrounds team (if one exists) was likely resource-constrained and put on higher priority projects, like getting Apple Intelligence out the door.The Swift Playgrounds app is pretty low priority, but it could be so much more! Fingers crossed we’ll see some activity on this app in 2025, and Apple doesn’t just pull the plug on it.

Conclusion

The biggest wildcard for iPad in 2025 is software, just like it is every year. If iPadOS 19 had a focus on improving Stage Manager and Swift Playgrounds, Apple could make a lot of iPadOS users happy. Whatever happens, there looks to be plenty to write and make videos about, so here’s to a great 2025!