Apple has updated its entry-level iPad with the A16 Bionic chip, and it ships with double the storage for the base model.
iPad 11 Arrives with a Faster A16 Bionic Chip but no Apple Intelligence Capabilities
Hidden in the depths of Apple’s M3 iPad Air press release is a small section that says the entry-level iPad (or, let’s just call it iPad 11?) gets a small upgrade as well.
In terms of design, nothing has changed, including the price. It still starts at $349 for the Wi-Fi model and $499 for the cellular model.
The thing that immediately stands out is the base storage of 128GB. When you give Apple your $349, you get an iPad with 128GB of storage as standard.
You can definitely bump that up to 256GB if you like, but this time, you get another option which takes you all the way to 512GB.
If you need storage, and lots of it, the entry-level iPad has it now.
Another thing worth noting is the inclusion of a faster A16 Bionic chip. This chip is up to 30% faster than the previous model and if you take the comparison all the way back to the A13 Bionic model, you get an overall performance improvement of 50%.
Sounds good, right? Not quite.
The thing is, while that chip may sound good on the performance end, the iPad 11 does not get any Apple Intelligence features at all. This means no Writing Tools, no Image Playground, no Genmoji. Absolutely nothing.
However, thanks to iPadOS 18, the tablet still gets some ‘intelligence’ features such as Math Notes, Smart Script in Notes, Audio Recording, and Transcription. That’s it.
If you really want to fill the AI void, you can take the third-party route with this iPad.
I absolutely get why this iPad does not have any Apple Intelligence features at all. If it did, it would be like any other iPad in the lineup. A huge line had to be drawn and that line was drawn right before Apple Intelligence for this iPad.
You can order the iPad 11 today, and it will become available in stores starting March 12.
