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Leaked specs put an A19 chip and 8GB of memory in Apple's next base iPad
Apple's next entry-level iPad will skip the A18 and use the A19 chip, according to a leak from MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris. Anyone ordering base iPads for a team now has to decide whether the A16 model on sale is worth buying before its successor lands.
The Product Desk · Product desk
What happened
- The current A16 base iPad is the only device in Apple's core lineup that does not support Apple Intelligence.
- Apple raised the base iPad from $349 to $449 this summer with its other memory-related price increases, returning it to its 2022 launch price.
- The leak also gives the tablet Apple's N1 networking chip, bringing Wi-Fi 7, plus the C1X modem on cellular models.
- Bloomberg's Mark Gurman expects the new iPad next spring, alongside an M6 MacBook Air, an A19 Pro MacBook Neo and an M7 14-inch MacBook Pro.
Compiled by The Product DeskSomething wrong?How this is made
Why it matters
- cost Fleet buyers this fall pay about 29 percent more for the same A16 hardware, and the chip upgrade that would justify the increase comes only with the next model.
- constraint A tablet spec that only says 'supports Apple Intelligence' will not settle a base-iPad order. The leaked model sits below the 12GB line that gates the better local and dictation models.
- decision Orders due before the successor ships force a choice between A16 tablets that lack Apple Intelligence entirely and a replacement that gets only part of it.
An IT lead ordering the cheapest iPad for a team this month gets the A16 model. Apple has left that tablet untouched for well over a year [1]. According to the leak, its successor will have 8GB of memory, enough to run Siri AI [8]. The most capable local models and the more advanced dictation models need 12GB, so the new base iPad would go without them [9]. 9to5Mac, which relayed the leak, called that "not a major loss, but worth pointing out" [13].
I think that depends on who holds the tablet. A store team using it as a product catalog will not notice. A team that bought tablets so staff could dictate visit notes would be paying for Apple Intelligence on a model that lacks the more advanced dictation [9].
9to5Mac's writer offers an explanation for the delay, though it is his own guess and not part of the leak. He assumes the memory crisis across the electronics industry pushed the launch back [4]. He also suggests an A18 refresh may have been planned for earlier this year, alongside the M4 iPad Air, and then delayed [4].
Beyond the chips, 9to5Mac expects no redesign and no display improvements, perhaps new colors [10]. Its writer wants USB 3 to fix the slow transfer speeds and says it would help justify the higher starting price [12]. The leak as reported does not mention the port.
Two questions settle the order. One is whether anyone using these tablets will need Apple Intelligence before the fleet is retired. The other is whether the purchase can wait for the successor.
Where the features matter and the order can wait, wait, and check each feature your staff would actually use against the 12GB requirement before assuming the A19 model covers it [9]. A team that needs the features now is shopping in the wrong tier, and the budget has to move up the lineup. With no AI need and no time to wait, buy the A16. It does the same job it did before the price rise. In the last case, with no AI need and time to spare, the main reason to hold off is the networking hardware [7]. I would only weigh that at sites that already run Wi-Fi 7 access points.
Waiting carries its own risk. The plan would rest on one leaker's spec sheet [6] and one reporter's release timing [11].
What to watch
- Whether the iPad Apple ships matches Perris's spec, especially the 8GB memory figure that decides which AI features it can run.
- Whether the A19 model keeps the $449 starting price or memory costs push it higher.
- Whether Apple adds more features to the list that require 12GB of memory, which would widen what the base iPad goes without.