Apple's 5th-gen iPad Air rumored for spring launch, A15 chip, 5G, and more

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iPad Air 4 backside
iPad Air 4 backside (Image credit: Lory Gil / iMore)

What you need to know

  • Apple is rumored to have a new iPad Air ready for a spring announcement.
  • A rumored fifth-generation iPad Air is expected to have a new A15 chip.
  • Specifications are expected to be similar to that of the latest iPad mini.

Apple is now rumored to have plans to announce a new fifth-generation iPad Air alongside the refreshed iPhone SE this spring. The report also points to a few upgrades, but no new design.

The Macotakara report cites supply chain sources when saying that we should expect an Apple A15 chip to be part of the new tablet. Support for 5G is also expected, while an upgraded front-facing camera should enable support for Center State, too.

Via machine translation:

According to reliable sources in China, there is a possibility that the iPad Air (5th generation) will be announced along with the iPhone SE (3rd generation) in Spring 2022.As with the iPhone SE (3rd generation), the design of the chassis will remain the same, and the specifications will be similar to the iPad mini (6th generation), with an A15 Bionic chip, 12MP ultra-wide front camera, quad-LED True Tone flash, and 5G support.

The current iPad Air is perhaps the best iPad for the majority of people right now and the updated specifications will drive that point home. The addition of 5G will be popular among those who want to use an iPad Air on the move, while the A15 processor is a welcome upgrade for gamers and power users alike.

If Apple is indeed set to announce a new iPad Air alongside the refreshed iPhone SE, a timeframe of March or April is likely. Expect an online Apple event to announce both products, and possibly more, during those months.

Oliver Haslam
Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.