iPad Air 5 Rumored to Feature M1 Chip, 8GB RAM, and 128GB Base Storage

The fifth-generation iPad Air will feature a range of significantly upgraded internals, according to an unverified but increasingly plausible report coming out of Asia.

iPad Air Feature 2
According to a post from the account "yeux1122" on the Korean blog Naver, the fifth-generation ‌iPad Air‌ will feature the M1 chip. As a result, the ‌iPad Air‌ is also destined to be paired with 8GB of memory, the post claims.

The new ‌iPad Air‌ is also rumored to start with 128GB of storage, up from the 64GB base storage currently available with the fourth-generation ‌iPad Air‌. The fifth-generation ‌iPad Air‌ will purportedly start at $599, the same starting price as the current model, despite offering double the amount of base storage.

The account previously said that Apple was planning to launch a new iPad mini model with an 8.7-inch display and a chassis that has an increased width and reduced height compared to the fifth-generation iPad mini in the second half of 2021. While the display size claim was inaccurate, with the sixth-generation ‌iPad mini‌ actually featuring an 8.3-inch display, the chassis rumor and launch timeframe proved to be correct.

Previous rumors about the ‌‌iPad Air‌‌ have suggested that it will be very similar to the iPad mini, featuring the A15 Bionic chip and 5G connectivity. Adding the ‌‌M1‌‌ to the ‌‌iPad Air‌‌ would make it very similar to the more expensive, top-of-the-line ‌iPad Pro‌, and if Apple does opt to do so, ProMotion display technology (with mini-LED in the 12.9-inch model) and the LiDAR camera would become the main differences between the ‌‌iPad Air‌‌ and the ‌‌iPad Pro‌‌ lines.

The ‌‌M1‌‌ chip features a 8-core CPU and a 7 to 8-core GPU, and comparatively, the A15 chip has a 6-core CPU and 5-core GPU, so the ‌‌M1‌‌ does offer some performance improvements over the A-series chips.

Yesterday, 9to5Mac exclusively reported that the fifth-generation ‌iPad Air‌ will feature the ‌M1‌ chip, but it is not clear if that is independently-sourced information or simply derived from this Naver blog post.

The new ‌iPad Air‌ is expected to be announced at Apple's "Peek Performance" event, which will start at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time today, so we don't have long before we learn exactly what chip Apple is adding to the ‌iPad Air‌. We'll have coverage here at MacRumors.com and on our MacRumorsLive Twitter account.

Related Roundup: iPad Air
Tag: Naver
Buyer's Guide: iPad Air (Buy Now)
Related Forum: iPad

Popular Stories

Beyond iPhone 13 Better Triad

Apple's 20th Anniversary iPhone May Finally Go All Screen

Tuesday April 15, 2025 6:31 am PDT by
Apple is preparing a "bold" new iPhone Pro model for the iPhone's 20th anniversary in 2027, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. As part of what's being described as a "major shake-up," Apple is said to be developing a design that makes more extensive use of glass – and this could point directly to the display itself. Here's the case for Apple releasing a truly all-screen iPhone with no...
maxresdefault

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Sunday April 13, 2025 7:52 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and ...
CarPlay Hero

Apple Releases Wireless CarPlay Fix

Wednesday April 16, 2025 11:28 am PDT by
If you have been experiencing issues with wireless CarPlay in your vehicle lately, it was likely due to a software bug that has now been fixed. Apple released iOS 18.4.1 today, and the update's release notes say it "addresses a rare issue that prevents wireless CarPlay connection in certain vehicles." If wireless CarPlay was acting up for you, updating your iPhone to iOS 18.4.1 should...
iOS 19 Roundup Feature

iOS 19 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday April 15, 2025 7:37 am PDT by
The first iOS 19 beta is less than two months away, and there are already a handful of new features that are expected with the update. Apple should release the first iOS 19 beta to developers immediately following the WWDC 2025 keynote, which is scheduled for Monday, June 9. Following beta testing, the update should be released to the general public in September. Below, we recap the key...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday April 17, 2025 4:12 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...
AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Friday April 18, 2025 5:16 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
Apple 2025 Thumb 1

10 Products Still Coming From Apple in 2025

Friday April 11, 2025 4:14 pm PDT by
Apple may have updated several iPads and Macs late last year and early this year, but there are still multiple new devices that we're looking forward to seeing in 2025. Most will come in September or October, but there could be a few surprises before then. We've rounded up a list of everything that we're still waiting to see from Apple in 2025. iPhone 17, 17 Air, and 17 Pro - We get...
iOS 18

Apple Releases iOS 18.4.1 With Bug Fixes

Wednesday April 16, 2025 10:11 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 18.4.1 and iPadOS 18.4.1, minor updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating systems that came out last September. iOS 18.4.1 and iPadOS 18.4.1 come two weeks after the launch of iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. There have been complaints about ...
iPhone 6s MacRumors YouTube

Apple Says These Products Are Now Vintage

Tuesday April 15, 2025 9:53 am PDT by
Apple today updated its vintage products list to add the 2018 Mac mini and the iPhone 6s, devices that will get more limited service and repairs now that they are considered vintage. The iPhone 6s initially launched in 2015, but Apple kept it around as a low-cost device until 2018, which is why it is only now being added to the vintage list. The iPhone 6s had Apple's A9 chip, and it was...

Top Rated Comments

SamRyouji Avatar
41 months ago
It's too good to be true.
If it's true, key difference between Air 5 and Pro 2021 will be just ProMotion, Quad Speaker, Thunderbolt port and Dual Camera + LiDAR. All feature that most of people will overlook.

But let's see what Apple will bring to us here. After all, they're the company full of surprises.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Spike1999 Avatar
41 months ago
Having anything less than 128GB for base storage is ridiculous now.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
headlessmike Avatar
41 months ago
Does this mean that the iPad Pro will get an M1 Pro in the next update? Surely that would resolve all of the productivity bottlenecks people have with iPads.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Bustycat Avatar
41 months ago
The bottleneck is still iPadOS.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
azentropy Avatar
41 months ago
Seems pretty overkill for the Air. I would have rather seen them not update so many features and take the price back to $499.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Jd3774life Avatar
41 months ago
If this is true.. iPad Pro must be getting a big update soon to keep its name. I can't wait! Also this would be a great iPad Air for those that don't need Pro features but would still benefit from this performance daily.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)