Today, Apple has seen fit to announce the new 11th-gen iPad with upgraded internals but the same design as before. The new entry-level iPad features enhanced performance with the company's A16 Bionic chip, which means that it is the only Apple device launched in recent times to ditch Apple Intelligence. Apple's decision to skip its AI features for the budget iPad makes a lot of sense as it would have cannibalized the iPad mini 7.
Apple announces new entry-level iPad with A16 Bionic chip and upgraded storage capacity
It was reported yesterday that Apple will release a new 'Air' product this week, and while we thought that the company was eyeing the MacBook Air, the Cupertino giant had something else in mind. The iPad (A16) is now here and features the same design as its predecessor, which is fine since it keeps up with the company's entire lineup with slimmer bezels. The new model comes with a USB-C port on the bottom and a single-lens camera on the back. It supports iOS 18, but skips Apple Intelligence features, which we will talk about later on.
Internally, the recently announced budget iPad is equipped with an A16 chip, which is 30 percent faster than the A14 chip in the 10th-gen iPad. In contrast, Apple also states that the cheapest iPad is at least six times faster than the best-selling Android tablet, touting the performance gains of the A16 chip. However, we already know that Apple has set a few limitations and eligibility criteria for Apple Intelligence, and the new iPad (A16) does not fulfill them.
The A16 chip provides a jump in performance for everyday tasks and experiences in iPadOS, while still providing all-day battery life. Compared to the previous generation, the updated iPad with A16 is nearly 30 percent faster. In fact, compared to iPad with A13 Bionic, users will see up to a 50 percent improvement in overall performance, and A16 makes the updated iPad up to 6x faster than the best-selling Android tablet.
In a nutshell, the 11th-gen iPad supports all the new features in iOS 18, but the A16 chip inside the device is not powerful enough to bolster Apple Intelligence upgrades. This also means that it is the only device that misses out on AI features. Besides this, the iPad 11 continues to feature support for Apple Pencil (USB-C), allowing users to interact with the device more precisely when it comes to drawing. Since the design is the same, you can use the same Magic Keyboard Folio accessory for your typing needs.
Lastly, the device also features upgraded storage capacity, which means that it now starts at 128GB instead of 64GB and can be upgraded to 256GB and 512GB. The iPad 11 starts at $349 for the WiFi model and $499 for the cellular model. Students can get their hands on the device for $329 and $479, respectively. You can pre-order the device starting today, and it will start shipping on March 12. Apple has also announced the new M3 iPad Air, so be sure to check that out as well.
