Currently all signs point to the iPad Air 6 landing in the first half of 2024, with multiple leaks saying as much, and one getting more specific and saying March. Now there’s another sign of a March launch – and of this upcoming tablet having a bigger screen than the iPad Air (2022).
According to Ross Young – a tech tipster with a solid track record, especially for display information – panels for a 12.9-inch iPad Air have begun shipping. These panel shipments apparently started in December, which makes March sound like a believable month for the tablet to launch in.
Certainly, if panels are already shipping we’d think the iPad Air 6 would land sometime in the first half of 2024 anyway.
12.9” iPad Air panel shipments started in December…December 10, 2023
A bigger screen and a better chipset
This also further suggests that we’ll see a larger 12.9-inch model, up from the 10.9-inch iPad Air (2022). This isn’t the first time we’ve heard talk of a 12.9-inch model, and it sounds like this larger screen could be one of the biggest upgrades, with the chipset likely to be boosted to an M2, but few other changes rumored.
While this latest leak only mentions a 12.9-inch model, previous sources have suggested that a 10.9-inch iPad Air 6 will launch as well, so you might have a choice of sizes. Though if the only real upgrade in the 10.9-inch model is a new chipset, it might not be the most exciting option.
Hopefully we’ll find out soon, and the iPad Air isn’t the only Apple slate expected to get a new entry in 2024. There’s also talk of the iPad 11, the iPad Pro (2024), and even the iPad mini 7 launching next year.
But while that’s a lot of tablets for one year, Apple didn’t launch any in 2023, so we’re due an influx of new best iPad contenders.
