Apple iPad Air (7th Gen) Release Date, Price & Specs

The iPad Air is one of the most popular tablets on the market, offering a perfect balance of power, portability, and price.

With Apple’s track record of rolling out significant improvements with each new model, the 7th generation iPad Air is highly anticipated.

While no major changes are expected from the iPad Air 6 (2024), its successor could still introduce some significant improvements.

Here’s a breakdown of everything we know about its release date, price, and specs.

When will the new iPad Air be released?

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the next-generation iPad Air is expected to be released this year, alongside the new entry-level iPads.

In a private post, Blass shared an image of source code (via MacRumors) that references unreleased 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Air models, alongside an iPad 11, indicating that these devices are indeed in the works.

Apple typically unveils new iPads early in the year, and reports suggest that the new iPad Air will be announced around April 2025.

This aligns with Apple’s move toward more flexible product release schedules, ensuring that each device gets the attention it deserves without a crowded launch event.

For context, here’s when recent iterations of the iPad Air arrived:

• 6th generation: May 2024
• 5th generation: March 2022
• 4th generation: September 2020
• 3rd generation: March 2019

How much will the new iPad Air cost?

While Apple hasn’t confirmed the exact pricing for the iPad Air 7th generation, it’s expected to remain within the current price range, offering competitive value against the iPad Pro.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

The iPad Air 6th gen starts at £599/$599, so it’s likely the iPad Air 7 will have a similar starting price, around £599/$599 to £649/$649, depending on its storage configuration and any potential upgrades.

However, MacRumors reports that new accessories like an updated Magic Keyboard could push up the total cost for those looking for a more laptop-like setup.

What specs and features will the new iPad Air have?

Design

The design of the 7th-gen iPad Air isn’t expected to change significantly from its predecessor. Apple will likely retain the 11-inch and 13-inch size options, introduced in 2024, with an aluminium chassis featuring flat edges and rounded corners.

If so, then Apple might keep the Touch ID power button for biometric authentication and the USB-C port for charging and connectivity.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

While the physical design may not change drastically, there could be new colour options to freshen up the lineup, building on the current palette of Space Gray, Purple, Blue, and Starlight.

Display

The display is one area in which the iPad Air is different from the iPad Pro. The 7th gen iPad Air will likely stick with LCD technology, while the iPad Pro continues to offer OLED displays and ProMotion 120Hz refresh rates.

The iPad Air could also maintain its Liquid Retina display, but without the ProMotion feature, ensuring a lower price point than the Pro models.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

However, another rumour (via 9to5mac) suggests Apple is developing a 90Hz display for the next iPad Air. This information, shared by an anonymous source with the Upgrade podcast, indicates that the M3 iPad Air may be the first device to feature this new 90Hz “liquid motion” panel, followed by other Apple products like the iMac and Studio Display.

Analyst Ross Young had previously reported (via 9to5mac) on Apple’s plans for 120Hz ProMotion displays for the iPhone 17 series. However, this is the first time a 90Hz display technology has been associated with non-iPhone Apple products.

Performance

According to an earlier report from Mark Gurman, Apple may refresh its iPad Air lineup with an M4 chip, potentially bypassing the M3 generation entirely. As a reminder, the current iPad Air models feature the M2 chip.

While previous expectations suggested an M3 upgrade, Gurman hinted that the models, code-named J607, J608, J637, and J638, may leap directly to the M4 chip, aligning them more closely with the iPad Pro.

This decision would mirror Apple’s earlier surprise with the M4 iPad Pro models in May 2024, which also skipped the M3 generation.

Such a move could diminish the processor gap between the iPad Air and iPad Pro, much like the way that many Mac devices share the same chip family.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

However, as per Evan Blass‘ post on X, the next iPad Air models will indeed feature the M3 chip, contrary to the speculation that Apple might opt for the iPad Pro’s M4 chip due to manufacturing considerations.

There is precedent for shared chips between the iPad Pro and iPad Air, as seen with the M1 chip in 2022. However, the source suggests the M3 chip is more likely for the upcoming iPad Air.

Cameras

The iPad Air 7 is expected to feature the same 12Mp rear camera and 12Mp ultrawide front camera found in previous models. The