Don't expect new iPad Pros this year, but a spec-bumped iPad Air could be imminent

It's increasingly likely that the OLED iPad Pro won't arrive until 2024, but the iPad Air is expected to get an upgrade later this year.

The next generation of iPad Pro is tipped to get not just a high quality OLED display but the next generation M3 processor too, and that means it’s not going to make it into the late-2023 launch window. Apple tends to launch new iPads and Pros in September or October every years, and the new Pros won’t be ready in time.

There’s good news for iPad Air upgraders, though. The iPad Air (2022), which I think is the best iPad for the vast majority of people, is expected to get a spec bump this year. That fits with its 18-month upgrade cycle – the last Air was released in the Spring of 2022.

What to expect from the 6th generation iPad Air (2023)

An upgraded processor is a near certainty: the current model has Apple’s M1 system on a chip, while last year’s Pro models came with the M2. It seems likely that if the Pros are moving to M3 then the Air will move up a generation and get the M2.

Beyond that we’re really talking about a wish list: details of the 2023 upgrade are currently scarce. But a boost to the storage – the Air currently starts with just 64GB – would be very welcome, as would an improved camera setup. 

The main shooter on the iPad Air is the same 12-megapixel camera introduced in the iPad Air (2020) three years ago, which we said at the time was “mediocre”. While Apple’s tech, such as Cinematic Video Stabilisation, works well the problem is that the quality of the images or video it’s working with is sub-par, lacking the punch and contrast you get from the iPhone.

“It feels like a camera from years ago,” we said – three years ago.

The front camera isn’t great either, and its positioning means if you have your iPad in a landscape case – which is the orientation of the vast majority of iPad cases – you’re never looking anywhere near the camera in FaceTime calls.