An accessory listing from ESR briefly named an "iPad 12th Gen (A18) 2026" and showed a tablet matching the current 11-inch iPad (2025), before the page was taken down.
The listing described screen protectors for an 11-inch model that would also fit the 10th- and 11th-generation iPads, strongly suggesting Apple is reusing the same flat-edged chassis and Liquid Retina display size.

According to screenshots captured by GSMArena, the product text explicitly referenced "iPad 11" (A18) 2026," effectively naming the chip and model year ahead of any Apple announcement.
Accessory makers have a long track record of leaking Apple hardware details through early case and screen-protector listings, which are often prepared weeks before launch.

The current baseline iPad, introduced in 2025 with the A16 Bionic and 6GB of RAM, is the only modern iPad that does not support Apple's Apple Intelligence features.
Reports now point to the iPad 2026 A18 chip as a 3nm upgrade, inherited from the iPhone 16 series, with the extra performance and memory headroom needed for on-device AI.

Analyst reporting suggests Apple plans a relatively modest refresh overall, with the main focus on the processor bump and Apple Intelligence support rather than a full redesign.
That would bring the entry-level iPad closer to the iPad Air and iPad Pro, both of which already run Apple Intelligence, narrowing the gap in day-to-day capabilities for tasks like writing assistance, image tools and smarter Siri queries.

On paper, the iPad 2026 A18 chip may look like a simple spec sheet update, yet it marks the point at which Apple's cheapest tablet finally joins the company's broader AI strategy.
If pricing stays close to the current A16 iPad, this could become the default Apple Intelligence tablet for schools, families and first-time buyers who have waited for the budget model to catch up.