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It's a Bad Time to Buy the Low-Cost iPad

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Apple's iPad that's just an iPad with no Air or Pro attached is its most appealing tablet because of the affordable starting $349 price tag, but if you've been thinking about buying one, you should wait.

ipad-blue.jpeg

Apple refreshed the iPad in March 2025, so it's over a year old. That's reason enough not to buy when there's a new model on the horizon, but this year, there's even more to lose by purchasing now.

The 2025 iPad has an A16 chip inside that does not support Apple Intelligence. It does not have features like Writing Tools, Image Playground, Clean Up, Live Translation, notification summaries, Smart Reply, Priority Messages in Mail, Visual Intelligence, and multiple other AI-related tools.

Apple Intelligence is still new so it might not sound like a big deal to miss out on those capabilities, but not having access to it is going to become more of a problem as Apple continues implementing new AI features.

Rumors suggest there are big changes coming in iOS 27. Siri is going to get smarter and turn into a full chatbot, the Camera app is going to get Visual Intelligence integration, the Photos app will have AI image editing tools, Shortcuts may be more automated, and there are probably features coming that haven't even been rumored yet.

The A16 iPad will likely feel outdated in the next year or two because of the feature set it won't have access to.

The next iPad is likely to get the A18 chip, and the A18 does support Apple Intelligence. It will have faster performance, more RAM, and most importantly, future-proofing and access to the AI features that Apple is investing in.

Holding out for the next iPad will take some patience, because right now, we don't know when it's coming. Updating the iPad alongside the low-cost iPhone 17e would have made sense, but that didn't happen. A new entry-level iPad isn't coming in the first half of 2026, so we're likely going to be waiting until September or October.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said in March that an updated low-cost iPad is "ready to go" and "still coming this year." Even though the wait may be several months, we think it's worth holding out for the next iPad instead of buying now because of the upgrade that comes with Apple Intelligence support.

Article Link: It's a Bad Time to Buy the Low-Cost iPad
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2026/05/14/low-cost-ipad-dont-buy/
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Apple_Robert said:
In my opinion, telling people to not buy is bad advice. Just because there is a rumor of a new product, that doesn't mean the current one is suddenly worthless. Not everyone cares about using AI with everything.
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Not to mention the warning Apple sent out at their last earnings report about getting hit by memory prices by June. Meaning this next entry level iPad may not carry the same entry level price.

People need to be careful giving out advice and telling people to wait right now. We’ve been warned for awhile that the price increases were starting to make their way into prebuilt consumer products now, not just individual parts and that the full effect would be felt on the second half of this year.

We’re already seeing the pricing trending upwards, and they’re saying it’s going to get worse. So if you plan to get something in the near future, waiting might end up shooting yourself in the foot
 
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Matsamoto said:
Imo it’s always a bad time and idea to buy the low cost/entry iPad.
I much rather choose a refurbished iPad Air M2 than a iPad 11.
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Unless you need the processing power and aside from the display, there isn't much of a difference between them. Why pay $200+ more for a refurbished device when you can get the base iPad for $300? For the people just using social media, watching content, and surfing the web, the basic iPad is completely fine.
 
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Yeah, I’m delaying for the new model but it’s nothing to do with Apple Intelligence. I disable that immediately.

I’m just due for a new one, and prefer to buy Apple stuff that’s close to newly launched. It’s a second screen while I do stuff around the house so no huge hurry.
 
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urungus said:
Doesn’t look like that deal is still available: https://www.costco.com/ipad-air.html
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Not online, but check Warehouse inventory. Some still have it.

Edit: You can check here-

app.warehouserunner.com

iPad Air 11-Inch M3 128GB Space Gray MC9W4LL/A (#1849811) - $399.97 (down from $559.99)

Track price and availability for iPad Air 11-Inch M3 128GB Space Gray MC9W4LL/A at Costco. Current range $399.97 to $559.99. Seen at 608 Costco locations. Updated May 14, 2026.
app.warehouserunner.com app.warehouserunner.com
 
I'm still not sure what real benefits I've received from "Apple Intelligence" on my compatible devices thus far. I'm also waiting for the "Now is the perfect time to buy the low-cost iPad!" article 😂
 
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I don't see anything new about the story of the 12th gen iPad update in this article that we've already seen in earlier discussions about the Apple's updates in 2026. As others have said, if you need an affordable iPad and your needs are modest, the 11th gen iPad is a good device. It'll be good when the 12th gen comes out, it'll be good next year, and it'll be good for several years after that. If you need or even want an iPad now, and don't care about Apple Intelligence, and if you can find it on sale, now's as good a time as any to get one.
 
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