M4 Chip Could Come to the Upcoming OLED iPad Pros
The 11-inch and 13-inch OLED iPad Pros could be the first devices to pack the new "Apple Silicon."
Apple’s upcoming round of the new iPad Pros, boasting an OLED display, could also be the first ones to sport the new M4 chip. A leak covered by MacRumors earlier today detailed sixteen Apple devices and the potential SoCs they’ll come with. This list, among others, mentioned the OLED iPad Pros, but there’s more to it.
Apple’s Roadmap for Sixteen Upcoming Devices Leaked in New Report
Within the list of sixteen devices, eight were reported to feature existing Apple silicon, including the A17 Pro (7th generation iPad mini), M2 (6th generation iPad Air), and A14 Bionic (11th generation iPad). The remaining eight devices were allegedly reported to sport upcoming hardware, which isn’t really too hard to guess. The M4 will succeed the M3, and the A17 Pro would serve as the predecessor to the A18 Pro.
| Device | SoC |
|---|---|
| iPad 11th-generation — Wi-Fi | A14 Bionic |
| iPad 11th-generation— Wi-Fi + Cellular | A14 Bionic |
| iPad mini 7th-generation — Wi-Fi | A17 |
| iPad mini 7th-generation — Wi-Fi + Cellular | A17 |
| iPad Air 6th-generation 10.9″ — Wi-Fi | M2 |
| iPad Air 6th-generation 12.9″ — Wi-Fi | M2 |
| iPad Air 6th-generation 10.9″ — Wi-Fi + Cellular | M2 |
| iPad Air 6th-generation 12.9″ — Wi-Fi + Cellular | M2 |
The iPhone 16 lineup, which is most likely to be announced in the second half of this year, will come with the new A18 chips across the board. For reference, each iteration of iPhones for the past few years has come with different chipset configurations within the same line. The Pros get the new SoCs, while the vanilla models get last year’s Pros’ chips.
Likewise, the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max come with A17 Pro, whereas the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus use the year-old A16 Bionic. For the iPhone 16 series, the Pros might use the “A18 Pro” moniker, but the base variants will likely stick to something like the A18 or A18 Bionic.
The M4 Might Be Apple’s Way of Justifying iPad Pros’ Price Hike
The general expectation for the upcoming OLED iPads was that they would share the M3 chip with the new MacBook Air M3, both of which are expected to be released this month. However, this leak suggests the possibility that the new iPad might use the M4 chip. It’s important to note that these iPads are expected to come with a price tag nearly double that of their last-generation counterparts.
Given the significant price discrepancy, Apple might resort to marketing strategies to justify the potential price hike. For reference, the 11-inch model is expected to start at $1500, while the larger 13-inch variant is expected to be priced around $1800.
This is all we know for now, but rest assured that we will keep you updated as new information becomes available.
