Apple hasn’t forgotten about its cheapest iPad. The company is expected to launch a refreshed entry-level iPad with an A18 chip in the first half of 2026, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman confirmed in his Power On newsletter on Sunday. The hardware is ready, and the only question now is timing.The current iPad 11, which launched in March 2025 with an A16 chip, is the last mainline Apple product that doesn’t support Apple Intelligence. The A18 upgrade changes that—bringing it in line with the iPhone 16 lineup that uses the same chip, and making it the final piece of Apple’s AI-capable product puzzle.
The last Apple device without Apple Intelligence is about to get it
Gurman says the device has been on Apple’s road map for the iOS 26.4 window, which runs through May. Since iOS 26.4 already hit release candidate stage last week, a launch sometime in April or May looks realistic. An earlier Macworld report had claimed the device would actually ship with an A19 chip, though Gurman makes no mention of that.Beyond the chip swap, don’t expect much else. No design overhaul, no new colour options—just a faster processor and Apple Intelligence support. There’s a possibility Apple also slips in its C1 modem and N1 networking chip for Wi-Fi 7 on cellular models, but that hasn’t been confirmed.At $349 (Rs 34,900 in India), the iPad remains Apple’s most accessible tablet. Getting Apple Intelligence on it matters—not because the features are groundbreaking today, but because it future-proofs the device as Apple continues building out Siri and its AI ecosystem through iOS 26.5 and beyond.
