Apple iPad Air 6th Generation rumors: Release date, price, design and more
The Apple iPad Air 6th Generation is the unannounced successor to the 5th Gen model of the same name, acting as the mid-tier option within the iPad series line-up. The base iPad acts as the starter, while the iPad Pro is high end, making Air a great pick for those who need something stronger than the iPad but don’t want to spend a fortune on the Pro.
iPad Air only recently stepped back into the eye of the public after years of being discontinued. The iPad Air 2nd Generation released in 2014, while the iPad Air 3rd Generation came out five years later in 2019. Since then, we’ve had two additional models launched, but we’ve still yet to hear a peep from Apple on the iPad Air 6th Generation.
So without further ado, here’s everything we know about the Apple iPad Air 6th Generation thus far, including details on its rumored price, release date, design, display, storage and more.
Apple iPad Air 6th Generation price and release date
Apple iPad Air’s 6th generation has yet to be revealed, so no release date is confirmed quite yet. We’ll look at the timeline of previous launches to get a better sense of when it could happen, but iPad Air is a bit of a mysterious series.
iPad Air 5th Generation was revealed and released in March 2022, while the iPad Air 4 was revealed in September 2020 and launched the following month. iPad Air 3 came out in March 2019, so overall, there is little consistency in release dates here.
At most we can assume that iPad Air 6th Generation could be revealed in September or October 2023, or pushed back to 2024 and gets a date in March. Or it could just come at a completely unpredictable time.
The iPad Air 5th and 4th Generation started at $599 for its base 64GB model and $749 for its 256GB model, but the Air 3rd Generation is $499 at its starting price, so we’re unsure what to expect from the Air 6. It’s possible it will remain at $599 or potentially see a price increase, but only time will tell.
Apple iPad Air 6th Generation design
The iPad Air 6th Generation’s design is likely to be pretty similar to what we expect from modern iPad aesthetics, with a flat aluminum exterior featuring rounded edges in both the body and bezels.
While the design likely won’t be exciting, iPad Air 5th Generation launched with five fun and distinct colors: Space Gray, Starlight, Pink, Purple and Blue. We expect the iPad Air 6th Generation will do the same, as the previous Air generations similarly weren’t afraid to get colorful.
Apple iPad Air 6th Generation hardware
The Apple iPad Air 5th Generation features an Apple M1 processor and 8GB of RAM, making it an absolute powerhouse in productivity performance. It’s possible that the Air 6th Generation will also feature an M1, but the more powerful M2 isn’t off the table.
The only iPad to wield an M2 processor is the Apple iPad Pro 6th Generation, which starts at $799 for its 11-inch model, while its 12.9-inch model starts at $1,099. Due to this massive price difference, it might be a bit of an exaggeration to assume that this lower-end model will feature an M2 chip so soon, but you never know.
Beyond our speculation, Twitter user @Tech_Reve bluntly claimed that the iPad Air 6th Generation would be powered by the M2. This could be false, but more whispers will likely come through.
We also anticipate the iPad Air 6th Generation will feature the same configuration of storage space options, between 64GB and 256GB. Considering that the iPad Pro 6th Generation features options for 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB and 2TB, it might be time for Apple to upgrade what’s available on the Air.
Apple iPad Air 6th Generation cameras
The Apple iPad Air 5th Generation features a 12MP wide camera with a ?/1.8 aperture, digital zoom up to 5x, five-element lens, panorama up to 63MP, auto-image stabilization, and burst photo mode. Its front camera is also 12MP with a 122-degree field of view and a ?/2.4 aperture.
We expect that the Apple iPad Air 6th Generation will receive marginal improvements at most, but since we’re still in the dark, it’s hard to say for sure. It’s possible that the primary camera on the back will be upgraded a bit, but until we get more official information, it’s hard to say.
Apple iPad Air 6th Generation display
The Apple iPad Air 5th Generation launched with a 10.9-inch Liquid Retina 2,360 x 1,640-pixel display at 264 pixels-per-inch with True Tone display, Apple Pencil support and up to 500 nits of advertised brightness. In this sense, the 5th and 4th Generation iPad are identical, so it might be time for Apple to upgrade its display.
On the other hand, the iPad Pro 6th Generation features a 12.9-inch Liquid Retina XDR Mini-LED 2,732 x 2,048-pixel display at 264 pixels per inch. Its advertised brightness can go as high as 600 nits in SDR, 1,000 nits in XDR and 1,600 nits in HDR. Perhaps some of the Pro’s advantages could find its way to the iPad Air, but we’re unsure as not many rumors have come to light.
Bottom line
The Apple iPad Air 6th Generation has yet to be revealed and not much has leaked about it, meaning we’re mostly in the dark. But these sorts of iterative series line-ups are often predictable, usually tweaking a few things between models. As a result, we’re expecting it to just do what the previous generation did, but a little better, possibly with a superior processor, camera and more storage space.
Otherwise, we’re hoping to learn more about the Apple iPad Air 6th Generation in the coming months. It’s possible it sees a launch this September/October or maybe in March of next year if previous release dates are anything to go by.
