While the newest iPad Air is only a few months old, we’re already looking to the future and the next version of Apple’s mid-range tablet.
This isn’t the next iPad on the way – there’s the iPad (2022), iPad Mini (2022) and iPad Pro (2022) that are likely to come first. But the Air line is popular with many people who might not want these other devices.
Apple’s iPad Air tablets fall below the Pro line, bringing svelte designs but not very sophisticated screens and processing power. They’re good choices for people who want a premium tablet but don’t need everything the Pro offers – or don’t want to spend as much.
As we said, we saw an iPad Air launch in early 2022, but Apple is probably already working on its sixth-gen version – it might arrive in 2023, but more likely later. Here, we’ll break down everything we know and what we want to see.
Cut to the chase
- What is it? Apple’s next mid-range tablet
- When do you leave? Probably early 2024
- How much will it cost? About $599 / £569 / AU$929
iPad Air 6 release date and price
We haven’t heard any confirmed information or even rumors about when the next iPad Air could arrive or how much it could cost, but we can make some good guesses.
The fourth and fifth generation iPad Airs came two years apart, so it stands to reason that the next one will too. That would make the first half 2024 release window – a little far off!
Price-wise, it will likely cost the same amount as the last one – which started at $599 / £569 / AU$929, but the cost has increased for more storage.
iPad Air 6: what we want to see
1. A more distinct identity
The biggest problem with the iPad Air 2022 is that it’s too close to the iPad Pro. Most buyers will have a hard time knowing what to buy or what’s best for them – in fact, it makes the Pro a bit redundant thanks to its lower price point.
Apple will have to figure out a better way to make the next iPad Air unique so it’s not too similar to the Pro.
Perhaps we can see it get a more mid-range spec sheet, as well as a lower price, to make it more affordable.
2. More storage
The current iPad Airs start with 64GB of storage which, for a tablet with a high-end chipset, is simply not enough.
That’s not enough to have a lot of games downloaded, or have a lot of files to work with or edit, and so it’s not really clear why this version exists.
That makes the price look a little fake too – sure, the entry price of $599 / £569 / AU$929 seems low, but if it’s for little storage no one will really buy it at this price.
3. A bigger battery
One problem we’ve encountered with the last iPad Air – and most other iPads, if we’re honest – is that the battery life wasn’t amazing. it was not bad, but it certainly wasn’t Good any.
Whether you want to hang around coffee shops for work or take your iPad into the studio to use as a second screen, you really want a device that lasts a long time. Current iPads don’t always do this.
We’d like the next-gen version to use a bigger battery – perhaps along with some optimizations to get the most out of that power – to ensure this has a chance to make it onto our list of the best iPads.