Don't buy an iPad - Apple could be about to launch something better

Apple could be about to announce a whole new lineup of iPads this week according to a report that claims the tech giant is about to update the iPad Air, iPad mini, and regular iPad models.

This would come hot on the heels of the launch of the shiny new iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro, which we reviewed here at Express.co.uk as the best iPhone line up for years. We have high hopes for the new iPads, which Supercharged said could be announced on Tuesday 17 October.

It will be nice to see new iPad models arribving in stores but if you were hoping for a tablet revolution you might be out of luck. The report says the iPad Air, iPad mini, and iPad will only be getting small spec updates to improve performance. That means there is unlikely to be big design changes or exciting new features - and maybe no cheaper prices.

The report, which cites sources close to Apple’s media plans, claims we’ll see the iPad Air gain a speedy Apple M2 chip and the iPad mini get a bump up to the more impressive A16 Bionic processor.

The standard 10.9-inch 10th gen iPad, which is the newest member of the lineup, could also get a speed boost which will help make it faster. It’s unclear what will happen to the cheaper 10.2-inch model which remains on sale but hasn’t had a refresh since 2021.

Apple’s iPads remain the best tablets on the market but the current range is cluttered and pretty complex for consumers. The models have confusing names and prices that make it difficult to decide which iPad is best to go for.

Here’s the current iPad lineup’s naming, year of release, and pricing:

• 10.2-inch iPad (9th generation, 2021) - £369
• 10.9-inch iPad (10th generation, 2022) - £499
• 10.9-inch iPad Air (5th generation, 2022) - £669
• 8.3-inch iPad mini (6th generation, 2021) - £569

And that’s before you delve into the specs of each model and which Apple Pencil models work with each. It’s also criminal that those prices are the cheapest versions of each iPad and only come with 64GB storage - the baseline really needs to be at least 128GB in 2023, but Apple makes you pay more for that.

If the rumours are true, we hope Apple will increase the base storage to 128GB and reassess the UK pricing of its iPads to at least make them a better deal, even if the range remains confusing for casual buyers.