Apple iPad Air 5 concept renderings suggest taking more of a peek at the performance under the hood for the A15 Bionic-powered tablet

There is a lot of expectation that the 5th generation iPad Air will make an appearance at the Apple Peek Performance event on March 8. Just in time for that, talented concept designer Volodymyr has shared some renderings of what the iPad Air 5 could look like, and it seems there is little difference between it and the 2020 iPad Air. The tablet looks as sleek and lightweight as always, suggesting that the real changes will be under the hood.

The main difference will likely be the processor: The iPad Air 4 chugs along on an Apple A14 Bionic while it is expected that the iPad Air 5 will be treated to an A15 Bionic chip, with even Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman on board with this expectation. If the rumor is true, then the A15 Bionic will make a nifty SoC upgrade for the iPad Air 5 with its higher clock rate and increased transistor count (15.8 billion compared to 11.8 billion for the predecessor).

Unsurprisingly, 5G connectivity is also believed to be part of the 2022 Apple iPad Air package as is an MP buff for the front-facing camera from 7 MP to 12 MP. Center Stage could be included with the camera-related improvements as could an improved rear-facing flash unit. However, it seems the iPad Air 5 will come with a similar display to the iPad Air 4, so an IPS LCD panel. It had been previously rumored that an OLED upgrade was in the works, but this was purportedly later shelved.

The concept designer has also added a price tag in an attempt to emulate Apple’s marketing material for the 2022 iPad Air. From US$599 is suggested, which if accurate would put the A15 Bionic-powered tablet at the same launch price as the iPad Air 4.  

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