Key takeaways
- Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that Apple plans a new iPad Air with an OLED display, an iPad Pro with M6 and vapor chamber cooling, and an entry-level iPad 12 with Apple Intelligence, all in the first half of 2027, and nothing new in the second half.
- Supply chain reports say the iPad Air gets a cheaper single-stack OLED panel, likely without 120Hz ProMotion. In 2021, Apple dropped this same kind of panel for the Air because it was not bright enough and might not last.
- My view: 120Hz locked to the Pro again is shameful, the price will jump, and if Apple’s own vice president says 60Hz doesn’t matter, then Apple shouldn’t charge so much for it. Buy the iPad Air (M4) on sale and don’t wait.
Apple plans to release a new iPad Air, iPad Pro and entry-level iPad in the first half of 2027, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman in his Power On newsletter on Sunday. The next iPad Air will get an OLED display, following the new iPad mini (A20 Pro), while the next iPad Pro is expected to add a vapor chamber cooling system and move to the M6 chip. The entry-level iPad 12 is expected to get the A19 chip, 8GB of RAM and Apple Intelligence, plus Apple’s N1 wireless chip and C1X modem. Gurman also says not to expect new iPads in the second half of 2027.
Korea’s ETNews reported in April that Samsung Display will mass-produce the iPad Air’s OLED panels around the end of 2026 or in January 2027. Unlike the iPad Pro’s two-stack tandem OLED, the iPad Air is expected to use a cheaper single-stack LTPS panel, which may be dimmer and stay at 60Hz. Since June 25, 2026, the iPad Air starts at $749, up from $599, and the iPad Pro at $1,199, up from $999.
In this article: 60Hz again, so the Pro stays safe · The panel Apple rejected in 2021 · A smaller battery, and a trick with sizes? · $749 today. I bet on $999 tomorrow · If 60Hz doesn’t matter, why charge so much? · iPad 12 and Siri AI: nothing wow · Buy the iPad Air (M4) now · iPad Pro: cooling is not a reason to upgrade · The Galaxy Tab S11 caught my eye · The iPad is not a toy · FAQ
60Hz again, so the Pro stays safe
Even if the iPad Air gets OLED, I expect the same story as the new iPad mini: only 60Hz, so it doesn’t threaten the iPad Pro, and only one layer in the panel. Apple has played this game for years. 120Hz is for the expensive models, and everyone else waits.
That is shameful, and it is short-sighted. Apple, wake up, for God’s sake. The competition now has every chance to overtake you, while you keep giving us the same things you were already making years ago.
The panel Apple rejected in 2021
Here is the part nobody talks about. In 2021, Apple cancelled an OLED iPad Air with Samsung. The reason, according to The Elec and analyst Ming-Chi Kuo: a single-stack panel was not bright enough and might not last as long as people keep their iPads. Apple wanted two layers. The cost and quality did not meet its standards.
And now, out of nowhere, that same kind of single-layer panel is good enough for the iPad Air. I wonder what problems or what quality it will bring with it. And I’d love to hear how Apple will defend it, when it once said itself that this panel is not good. My guess: one layer, so the black doesn’t look as perfect as on the iPad Pro.
A smaller battery, and a trick with sizes?
Look at the iPad mini (A20 Pro). It got OLED, and at the same time a smaller battery than the old iPad mini (A17 Pro): 4,900 mAh against 5,034 mAh, according to Apple’s own EU energy label. Apple promises the same battery life as before, not a minute more. Paying more for a smaller battery is a real embarrassment.
And I wouldn’t be surprised if Apple gets even smarter with the Air. What if only the 13-inch iPad Air gets OLED, and the 11-inch stays with LCD? Then you can pull even more money from us. Reports so far talk about the whole iPad Air family, but a staggered rollout is not ruled out. And your gadgets are already so damn overpriced that people are truly fed up with you.
$749 today. I bet on $999 tomorrow
Let’s not forget the price. After the June increase, the iPad Air already costs $749. I bet the base OLED iPad Air will cost $999 or $1,099. And it will be the same old song from greedy Apple: memory got more expensive.
I have a feeling that at Apple not only the memory got more expensive, the brains got dull too. It looks to me like Apple wants an 85% margin on every part of every gadget.
| Model | Before June 2026 | Today | Expected in 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| iPad (A16) | $349 | $449 | iPad 12 with A19 and Apple Intelligence |
| iPad mini | $499 | $699 (A20 Pro, OLED, 60Hz) | Just launched in October 2026 |
| iPad Air 11-inch | $599 | $749 (M4, LCD, 60Hz) | M5, OLED, single-stack panel |
| iPad Pro 11-inch | $999 | $1,199 (M5, tandem OLED, 120Hz) | M6 and vapor chamber cooling |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 | $799 at launch | $659 on sale (AMOLED, 120Hz, S Pen included) | – |
If 60Hz doesn’t matter, why charge so much?
When I remember that Dave Pakula, Apple’s vice president of Hardware Engineering, said 60Hz doesn’t matter on the iPad mini because OLED pixels react faster, I can only laugh. As if he decides everything for us, and we have no choice but to go blindly and believe them that it doesn’t matter.
And then you hold a tablet from the competition that costs less and runs at 90Hz or 120Hz, and you see the difference. The biggest difference, of course, is in the price. So, Apple, if it doesn’t matter, why do you raise prices so much when you give us the cheapest junk? I’m curious whether you will do exactly the same with the Air.
iPad 12 and Siri AI: nothing wow
The iPad 12 will be the first entry-level iPad in years with Siri AI. Please don’t sell it to us as a revolution. So what, when Siri AI runs on a brain borrowed from Google, is still dumb and speaks only 6 languages? I don’t see anything special here.
And that the base iPad stays without Siri AI for another half a year, while every Apple ad talks only about Siri AI, is a true disgrace. Apple could have started working on it long ago, instead of only showing off how great it is. Honestly, it makes me sick.
Buy the iPad Air (M4) now
The new iPads arrive in spring, and Gurman says we shouldn’t expect any more in the rest of the year. So for Christmas 2027 we will be buying an iPad that is more than half a year old, and a few months later a newer model comes out.
But I wouldn’t panic about it. As we see now, Apple has changed: it brings almost nothing new and rather puts old parts into new gadgets. In my opinion, it will be an embarrassing upgrade again, and the ad will be built on some new button, a new color or a camera cover. Apple, we see through you.
So if you can buy an iPad Air (M4) now, you lose nothing. There are people on the M1 who say it’s more than enough for them and they see no reason to change. I wouldn’t wait, especially if Apple raises prices again. Right now, before Christmas, you can surely find it on sale cheaper than Apple’s own base price.
iPad Pro: cooling is not a reason to upgrade
About the iPad Pro, I can say for sure: I wouldn’t upgrade at all if it’s confirmed that Apple adds only cooling and nothing more. Today’s iPad Pro (M5) already has more power than most people ever use, and I think the M6 will only confirm it. The ads for the iPad Pro (M6) will put the accent on cooling, and there will be nothing truly big that makes us upgrade.
The Galaxy Tab S11 caught my eye
And the Samsung Galaxy Tab S11, 11 inches, is now on sale for just $659 (it launched at $799). For that you get a superb 120Hz AMOLED display, an IP68 rating and the S Pen right in the box. For this price, it’s an excellent tablet.
The only thing is that after years on Apple, it’s a new system for me. But I think with my next tablet I’ll try Samsung. Today I was in a store, and that display and the way the Galaxy Tab S11 looks really caught my attention.
The iPad is not a toy
Under the Gurman reports, many people write that the iPad has the hardware of a Mac and the system of a toy. They are wrong. The iPad stopped being a toy a long time ago. It’s a work tablet. Everything depends on who buys it and for what.
An iPad Air or iPad Pro can easily replace a MacBook when you need to edit photos or do simpler work. I even know a lot of people who edit video on iPads, and it goes quite well for them. That’s why I want Apple to treat the iPad Air seriously, and not as a cut-down product that must never get close to the Pro.
Also on Evolt News: New iPad mini: 60Hz and $699 · Apple’s “reluctant” price increase · Apple’s memory suppliers send the bill · Touchscreen MacBook Pro: $400 more for a touch
Photo: iPad Air and iPad Pro. Daniel Romero, via Unsplash.
This article is opinion.
OLED iPad Air and the 2027 iPads: FAQ
When will the OLED iPad Air come out?
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman expects it in the first half of 2027, together with a new iPad Pro and the entry-level iPad 12. Samsung Display is reported to start mass production of the panels around the end of 2026 or in January 2027.
Will the OLED iPad Air have a 120Hz ProMotion display?
Probably not. Reports say it will use a single-stack LTPS OLED panel, unlike the iPad Pro’s tandem LTPO OLED, and the new iPad mini (A20 Pro) with a similar panel stays at 60Hz. Apple has not announced anything.
What chip will the 2027 iPad Air and iPad Pro have?
The iPad Air is expected to move to the M5 and the iPad Pro to the M6. The iPad Pro is also expected to add vapor chamber cooling, similar to the iPhone 17 Pro, for better sustained performance.
Will the iPad 12 support Apple Intelligence and Siri AI?
Yes, according to code found by MacRumors. The iPad 12 is expected to have the A19 chip and 8GB of RAM, the minimum for Apple Intelligence, plus the N1 chip with Wi-Fi 7 and the C1X modem in cellular models.
How much does the iPad Air cost now?
Since June 25, 2026, the 11-inch iPad Air (M4) starts at $749 and the 11-inch iPad Pro (M5) at $1,199. Apple has not announced prices for the 2027 models.
Should I buy an iPad Air now or wait for OLED?
In my view, buy the iPad Air (M4) on sale now. The OLED model will likely cost more, may stay at 60Hz, and Gurman expects no new iPads in the second half of 2027.
Sources: Bloomberg (Mark Gurman), MacRumors, AppleInsider, ETNews, The Elec, Ming-Chi Kuo, Cult of Mac, TechCrunch, Gadget Review, Samsung, Android Headlines.
Our Take
An OLED iPad Air sounds great, until you read the fine print: one layer, probably 60Hz, a panel Apple itself called not good enough in 2021, and a price that will climb from today’s $749.
If 60Hz doesn’t matter, Apple, don’t charge us for it. I would buy the iPad Air (M4) on sale now, skip an iPad Pro that only adds cooling, and look hard at the Galaxy Tab S11.
