According to recent reports from Bloomberg, Apple will be releasing another iPad Air with “internal improvements” as early as spring 2025.
The iPad Air was just refreshed with M2 in early 2024, meaning there’d be around 12 months between refreshes, rather than the typical 18-24 months between iPad Air refreshes. With such a short turnaround time, it leaves you wondering: what will Apple actually be updating in these iPads?
New Magic Keyboard
At the very least, Apple is reportedly designing a brand new Magic Keyboard specifically for iPad Air. Currently, the iPad Air uses the original Magic Keyboard design that was introduced in 2020 with the iPad Pro. Since then, the base model iPad has received a new Magic Keyboard Folio, and the iPad Pro has a new aluminum Magic Keyboard.
According to Gurman, the new Magic Keyboard should have a new function row, similar to the aforementioned iPad Keyboards. However, unlike the new iPad Pro Magic Keyboard, this Magic Keyboard for iPad Air will not have an aluminum top case.
Hopefully, this new iPad Air Magic Keyboard can have a lower starting price. Currently, the older Magic Keyboard and iPad Pro Magic Keyboard have the same starting price of $299 for 11″ and $349 for 13″, despite the fact that the iPad Pro Magic Keyboard is far superior.
Potentially upgraded display
According to one source who provided information to the Upgrade podcast, Apple is working on 90Hz display technology for the iPad Air and other upcoming Apple products:
“I have news on screen improvements for the next generation of the M3 iPad Air. Apple is working on a higher refresh rate LCD display with a new liquid motion panel fixed at around 90Hz. They’re also working on expanding it to other models or products like a 24-inch iMac and a next-gen studio display.”
Other reputable leakers have yet to back this rumor, so it might not come to fruition. Display analyst Ross Young, for example, has said he’s heard nothing about new Apple displays with 90Hz.
Newer chip
According to reputable leaker Evan Blass, Apple is likely going to implement the M3 chip in the next generation iPad Air, following what they’ve done historically.
Apple’s 5G modems
We may see Apple’s first 5G modems debut in cellular versions of the iPad Air, according to Bloomberg:
The first modem will also appear in low-end iPads next year, with the 2026 update coming to Pro versions of the iPhone and iPad.
Face ID?
In a recent edition of his Power On newsletter, Mark Gurman floated the idea of the next generation iPad Air gaining Face ID as a potential upgrade. However, he also stated that “Apple also wants to avoid making it too similar to the iPad Pro.”
As nice as Face ID would be, especially as it’s been over 6 years since it debuted in the iPad Pro, it seemingly isn’t coming.
Other potential improvements
This section is more speculative, but there are some improvements Apple has been making with other products that we could potentially see in the M3 iPad Air:
- 600 nits of brightness standard (currently exclusive to the 13-inch M2 iPad Air, 11-inch model is still 500 nits)
- Wi-Fi 7 support, introduced on the iPhone 16 lineup
- Rear LED flash (introduced on iPad mini in 2021, still never implemented on iPad Air)
- Thunderbolt support (exclusive to iPad Pro currently)
- Better mic array
Are you looking forward to the new iPad Air refresh in 2025? Do you think this refresh will be worth it? Let us know in the comments.
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