judgement : We ’ve seen a bevvy of tab releases in the first few months of 2025 from the likes of Apple and Samsung .
However , these tablet updates would well be described as pocket-size , offering a chipset boost and piffling else to raise the experience .
Where did all the interesting pad launch go ?
iPad 11
New iPads, but they’re not new
It was Apple that kick off the major 2025 pill reveals , expose not only the iPad 11 but the iPad Air 7 in March .
However , unlike the usual fanfare of a big - budget pre - recorded video announcement like we ’re used to seeing with iPhone launches , both models of iPad were launched not with a bang , but with a whine . No tease , no hoopla building , just a random press release appear in my inbox one afternoon .
However , considering the actual changes offered by the tablets , it ’s exonerated that Apple would n’t have been able-bodied to stretch the announcement to even a 10 - minute picture .
iPad 11
Take the nucleotide - level iPad 11 ; it have an upgraded chipset in the shape of the A16 Bionic along with a slightly boosted 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of basis storage , but beyond that ? Nada . It does n’t even offerApple Intelligencesupport . That one would ’ve been a pretty well-fixed win .
It ’s a like story with the iPad Air 7 ; it returns in its 11- and 13 - column inch configurations with a boosted Apple M3 chipset in place of the M2 of its predecessor , and … that ’s about it . It does support Apple Intelligence , but so did theiPad Air 6 .
You ’d guess that the tablets were near - thoroughgoing , give how piddling has change , but there’ssomuch that Apple could do with its iPads . The most significant rise would be a faster refresh rate ; all iPads except the top - end Pro modelling are lock at 60Hz , whileevenbudget tabletslike theHonor Pad 9offer a still 120Hz refresh charge per unit .
iPad 11
It could also focalize more on the tablet ’ durability ; Samsung ’s vie Galaxy Tab S10 FE offers full IP68 junk and water resistance , meaning it ’s completely safe to take to the beach or the kitty . Apple ’s tablets , on the other deal , offer nothing of the sort .
Theseare the rise Apple ’s tablets desperately need , not just a chipset bump – especially for the already incredibly powerful iPad Air .
It’s not just Apple
You might think that this is just Apple - bashing , but it ’s not . Samsung might have some durability , but it ’s just as hangdog as Apple in churning out minor ironware upgrades .
Take the launch of the Galaxy Tab S10 FE and FE Plus from to begin with this week as a meridian example .
In a similar trend to Apple , the new lozenge were announce via closet release with little build - up ahead of prison term , and again , it ’s clear to see why .
The Galaxy Tab S10 FE is the bigger offender in this respect ; it ’s a petty slimmer and lighter , certain , but apart from that , the only impactful change on offer is a new chipset . It still features the same 90Hz 10.9 - inch liquid crystal display display , S Pen support , battery and charging , open existing users very petty ground to upgrade .
The Tab S10 FE Plus is slimly more exciting with a enceinte screen door that take it to 13.1 inch , but again , that ’s the independent upgrade aside from the slightly dissolute processor .
Where has all the tablet innovation gone?
It ’s not just 2025 that suffers from this issue ; it ’s a style we ’ve get word over the retiring few years , with tablet hardware apparently stagnate . This is unpaired because , when you think about it , there are still plenty of areas to explore when it comes to tablet ironware .
For one , imagine if tablet photography were to be taken more seriously . With so much additional blank compare to smartphones , it could practicably be tablets that offer the best roving shooting experience .
Sure , we collectively barrack at people who take photo on their pad , but you be intimate what ? It stay fresh on happening anyway . And , I must admit , take in a 13 - in viewfinder for my camera does voice tempting , if not a little unwieldy .
Manufacturers could also consider making foldable tab . We ’ve already seen book - style and impudent - mode mobile phones , so why not expand that construct to pad ?
I ’d love to see a big book - manner tablet with something consanguineous to an iPad mini on the front with a larger foldable iPad 11 - panache screen door within . It ’d be like having two tablet in one , allowing you to flip between the two depend on the labor .
deplorably , neither of these upgrade seem to be on the 2025 sensible horizon , with rumour pointing towards much of the same for the rest of the class . But hey , let ’s hope that 2026 is the class that the tablet gets the TLC it deserves .
iPad Air 7
Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE & Tab S10 FE Plus
Image Credit (Trusted Reviews)
iPad 11
iPad Air 7
Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE & Tab S10 FE Plus
Image Credit (Trusted Reviews)
