Will the "iPad 12" arrive within the year? With the A18 and AI, is it worth waiting for?

What determines whether an entry-level device is worth waiting for has never really been how high its specs are stacked, but whether it will change the way you use it in each session. For someone like me who values system efficiency, an entry-level iPad that only gets the usual minor tweaks is often a waste; but if it can truly bring AI capabilities down to the mainstream level, then the situation is a bit like suddenly gaining a piece in an endgame that can coordinate the entire board.

According to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman in the latest issue of his Power On newsletter, the new entry-level iPad 12 is ready and will still launch within this year. Among the known details, the most important step is neither the design nor the size, but the chip upgrade from the current iPad 11’s A17 to the A18—not the A19 mentioned in some earlier rumors.

Why does this matter? From a system design perspective, what the A18 brings is not just a routine performance upgrade; more importantly, it will allow iPad 12 to support Apple Intelligence for the first time. Writing tools, image generation, and a smarter Siri will all enter the entry-level product line because of this chip. For many users who simply want a tablet for studying, light office work, and everyday entertainment, this is far more meaningful than higher benchmark scores, because it directly changes the way the device is used.

From a strategic depth standpoint, Apple’s thinking this time is actually quite clear: the design and size are expected to remain largely unchanged, continuing down the affordable path while concentrating upgrades as much as possible on core computing power and the AI experience. This approach is a lot like prioritizing your main tech tree when resources are limited, rather than wasting budget on display changes with low marginal returns. For an entry-level product, I think this trade-off is quite elegant, because most people will not upgrade immediately just because the bezels are a little thinner, but they will reassess when to buy based on whether AI features are available.

But the question lies in the price. When Apple launched iPad 11 in March 2025, its starting price was 2999 yuan. The global memory market is now in a phase of structural shortage and rising prices, and Gurman did not give a clear judgment on the pricing of iPad 12, so in the end, either keeping the same price or raising it slightly would make sense.

If you are hesitating between iPad 11 and iPad 12 right now, my advice is straightforward: if you are not in a hurry, wait. We should have an answer within this year, and the A18 plus Apple Intelligence is clearly the biggest reason to buy this generation; if you only need it for your child’s online classes, or simply for watching videos and taking notes, and if iPad 11 sees some price cuts later on, it will still be a solid value-for-money safe pick.

Looking at the bigger picture, Apple has already rolled out the iPhone 17e and MacBook Neo this month, and if iPad 12 also arrives as rumored, Apple’s entry-level product lineup will become more complete. That is good news for ordinary users, because the choices will be clearer; but for those who have already bought iPad 11, seeing AI capabilities quickly brought down to lower-tier products will inevitably create a sense of being caught by the product cycle. In the end, iPad 12 may not look like a dramatic, surgical generational overhaul, but it is very likely the most important step for the entry-level iPad in recent years.