Apple’s cheapest iPad may finally be powerful enough to run Apple Intelligence. Code found inside Apple’s own software points to the next entry-level iPad moving to an A19 chip and 8GB of RAM. The current model, the iPad 11, ships with an A16 and 6GB. That falls below Apple’s stated memory floor for its AI features. MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris found the references. Apple has not named the device, so iPad 12 is a tracking label rather than a confirmed product name.
Why the iPad 12 RAM Jump Matters
The RAM number is the one buyers should care about. Apple has drawn a hard line at 8GB for Apple Intelligence, and the base iPad has sat on the wrong side of it. A buyer picking the cheapest iPad today gets a tablet locked out of Apple’s marquee software features. Moving to 8GB would close that gap in a single generation.
The processor change is the more routine half of the story. An A19 would put the entry-level iPad two chip generations ahead of the A16 it uses now.
The Same Leak Trail, a Different Device
This is not the first Apple product to surface from this particular trail. The same contributor surfaced references to the HomePod mini 2, iPad mini 8 and Apple TV 4K on September 25. MacRumors is also clear that its findings confirm specs that had already circulated in earlier rumours. The report reads as corroboration rather than a fresh scoop.
Modem and Wireless Changes
Two other components turn up in the same code. The tablet is said to use Apple’s C1X modem, which handles sub-6GHz 5G. It would also gain the N1 wireless chip, bringing Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and Thread support.
Neither part is new silicon. Both already appear in other recent Apple hardware. This looks like Apple standardising its own modem and networking chips across more of the iPad line. For most buyers the practical effect is modest. Wi-Fi 7 helps only on a matching router, and Thread matters mainly in a smart-home setup.
Price and Release Window
MacRumors expects the starting price to hold at $449, the same figure the current iPad carries. That is the outlet’s expectation and not something Apple has stated. Timing is equally loose, with the report not expecting a launch before spring 2027.
With launch at least six months away, this is early spec interest rather than an imminent release. As of September 27, Apple has not announced the device or confirmed any of these specifications. Code strings inside shipping software are a reliable class of leak, but they describe plans, and plans change before hardware ships.
Source: MacRumors
