According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple may release updated iPad Air models in the spring of 2025, using the M4 chip and skipping the M3 generation for this series.
Apple released the iPad Air with the M2 chip and 11/13-inch screens in May 2024. It was expected that this year the company would update the iPad Air model with the M3 chip. However, according to Gurman, he "wouldn't be too surprised" if Apple chooses the M4 chip instead of the M3.
Gurman believes that Apple may choose the M4 chip for the iPad Air, just as the company surprised many in May 2024 by releasing the iPad Pro with M4 instead of the expected M3. He notes that there is no reason why Apple cannot repeat this step with the iPad Air.
The new generation iPad Air is not expected to have any design changes, but the tablet is likely to receive Apple's new 5G modem, which will also appear in the iPhone SE 4, the budget iPad 11, and the iPhone 17 Air in 2025.