Apple's next iPad Air is expected to be unveiled in Spring 2022, and while it may not be the reportedly canceled OLED iPad Air, it is expected to feature the powerful A15 Bionic, 5G connectivity, Quad-LED True Tone flash and more upgrades.
Taking cues from the revamped Apple iPad mini 6, the iPad Air 5 will be equipped with a speedy A15 Bionic, 5G support, and a 12MP ultra-wide front camera with the iPad Pro's Centre Stage feature. However, expect it to look very similar to the hugely popular iPad Air (2020).
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Japanese blog Mac Otakara reports that the 5th-gen iPad Air will launch alongside the rumored iPhone SE 2022 at an Apple Spring event, which is expected to take place in either March or April. This comes from supply chain sources speaking to Mac Otakara, and while it seems likely Apple is ready to refresh one of the most popular tablets on the market, it's best to take this in with a pinch of salt.
The report specifically states that the design of the chassis will be the same as the current-gen iPad Air. We're fans of the sleek design with thin bezels, but we hope to see a slight reduction in bezel size and a variety of new color options to choose from.
As you'll find in our iPad mini 6 review, we were happy with the performance of the A15 Bionic chip, sporting a six-core CPU and five-core graphics. However, in our Geekbench 5 tests, the iPad mini scored a 4,450, edging out the iPad Air 4 (4,262, A14 Bionic). This proves the A15 to be only a minor upgrade over its predecessor. Still, we're interested to see how the iPad Air 5 will handle the upgraded processor.
Will the fifth-generation iPad Air be a worthy upgrade to grab? Only time will tell, but with the highly anticipated Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 set to arrive soon, iPads may see big competition from Android tablets this year.
