New iPad Air May Have Surprise Upgrade

In a bit of a surprise, the 2024 iPad Air may come with an upgraded display which is great news for those who want a better screen and potentially bad news for those on a budget.

In May, Apple is expected to announce a new iPad Air, a sixth-generation model that many, including us, are calling the iPad Air 6.

iPad Air 6 rumors have hinted at several upgrades including a larger 12.9-inch display. If true, it would represent the largest iPad Air to date.

Today, display analyst Ross Young released new information about the iPad Air 6’s display and his information is surprising given that we’re not only hearing about this upgrade for the first time, but that it comes just weeks ahead of launch.

Young believes the 12.9-inch iPad Air 6 will come with a Mini-LED display instead of a LCD panel. He says Apple is using leftover Mini-LED displays from the 12.9-inch iPad Pro. This is good news for several reasons:

• It should have better power consumption which could translate to better battery life
• A Mini-LED display would offer increased brightness for high-definition content
• The display would also provide deeper blacks

It would be a fantastic upgrade, particularly those who love to consume content like movies and television shows on their iPad. It would be boon for iPad gamers as well.

Now, for the bad news. If this change is real, it could mean we see a price jump. Displays aren’t cheap and we could see Apple transfer the added cost to consumers.

We haven’t seen rumors out the iPad Air 6’s price, yet but that should change in the coming days as we approach the device’s launch date.

Assuming Apple keeps the price of the smaller 10.9-inch model the same, the iPad Air 6 will start at $599.

If there’s a model larger screen, we may see the company charge $200-300 more for the increased size which would put the 12.9-inch iPad Air 6 price at $799 or $899.

There’s a $300 price difference between the 11-inch iPad Pro and 12.9-inch iPad Pro. The base 11-inch iPad Pro is $799 and the base 12.9-inch iPad Pro is $1099.

Apple is planning to announce the iPad Air 6 and new OLED iPad Pros in May. We don’t have a date yet, but it should land sometime in the early part of the month.