Everything we know about the 2022 iPad Air, coming in March

Apple is developing an updated version of the iPad Air, and the new tablet will be launched this spring at an event expected to be held on March 8.

Design

The iPad Air‌ is expected to look identical to the current model, with no outward design changes planned. Apple may introduce new color options to differentiate the updated models from the existing iPad Air, which comes in silver, space gray, rose gold, green, and sky blue.

Like the iPad Pro, the ‌iPad Air‌ has a full-screen design but does not include Face ID. Apple uses the Touch ID power button for authentication instead. The tablet will continue to feature Touch ID and will feature a 10.9-inch display and a USB-C port.

While no physical changes are expected, the iPad Air will adopt features first introduced in its sister tablet, the iPad mini 6.

5G Connectivity

Like the latest iPad mini, the updated iPad Air will feature a 5G chip, allowing it to connect to 5G networks. The chip in the ‌iPad mini‌ is limited to sub-6GHz 5G networks, rather than the fastest mmWave 5G networks, so it's possible we'll see the same limitations in the ‌iPad Air‌, but there's no guarantee.

Sub-6GHz 5G is the more widely available version of 5G and can be found in urban, suburban, and rural areas across the United States and other countries, while mmWave 5G is more limited in availability and range.

AT&T and Verizon have recently expanded their 5G networks using C-band spectrum, which has increased the availability of millimeter wave networks in the United States, so Apple may take this into account when updating the iPad Air.

Updated Processor

We expect the ‌iPad Air‌ to get the same 6-core A15 chip found in the ‌iPad mini‌ 6 and iPhone 13 series. Apple downclocked the A15 chip in the ‌iPad mini‌ so it runs at 2.9GHz instead of the 3.2GHz in the iPhone, but it's unclear whether the ‌iPad Air‌ will use the same clock speed.

With the downclocked A15, the ‌iPad mini‌ is about 2% to 8% slower than the ‌iPhone 13‌ in terms of CPU performance, but either way it will be better than the current model A14 Chips have improved.

Center Stage and FaceTime Camera

Rumor has it that the ‌iPad Air‌ will feature an updated 12-megapixel ultrawide front-facing camera that will work with Center Stage, a feature that first came to the ‌iPad Pro‌ Introduced in ‌iPad mini‌ 6.

Center Stage is a FaceTime feature designed to keep you focused and perfectly framed during a ‌FaceTime‌ video call. The wide-angle front-facing camera shows more of the room you're in, and the processor inside the iPad keeps you front and center as you move around.

If more than one person is involved in the call, the camera will zoom out to try to keep everyone in view and ensure they are part of the conversation. Although designed with FaceTime in mind, Center Stage also works with other third-party video apps like Zoom.

As for the rear camera, it is expected to continue with a single-lens setup, although Apple may add a quad-LED True Tone flash, which would be a new addition since the current iPad Air does not include a flash option.

Other Features

We don’t expect any other notable changes to the ‌iPad Air‌. Since the body design remains the same, we're unlikely to see any major updates to battery life.

USB-C support will continue to be included and will be compatible with Apple accessories including the Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil 2.

Price

Pricing for the ‌iPad Air‌ is not expected to change and is likely to be the same as the current ‌iPad Air‌ pricing. Current models start at $599 for 64GB of storage and $749 for 256GB. We haven't heard rumors of storage changes, and the ‌iPad mini‌ 6 also starts with 64GB of storage.

Release Date

Rumor has it that the updated iPad Air will be released alongside an updated version of the iPhone SE at an event scheduled for March. Currently, Apple plans to hold the event on Tuesday, March 8.

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