Apple has unveiled its new entry-level iPad 11, which features an A16 Bionic chip but lacks Apple Intelligence features. A bit of an odd move, given that the company seems to be pushing AI on the majority of its new products, including the new iPhone 16e.
The new iPad Air with the M3 chip is not the only tablet announced by Apple. There is also the iPad 11, the basic model of the new range. The main new feature, as on the “Air”, is to be found on the processor side. The latter is equipped with the A16 chip which should guarantee a real leap in performance compared to the A14 chip of the iPad 10.
However, there is a catch: the iPad 11 does not support Apple Intelligence, the AI system integrated into the brand’s recent devices. A choice that contrasts with the strategy adopted on the iPhone, where even the most affordable model, the iPhone 16e, benefits from AI.
More powerful, but without AI
This new iPad therefore has an A16 processor, a slightly downgraded version of the chip used in the iPhone 14 Pro, with one fewer CPU core and one fewer GPU core. Despite this concession, it is, according to Apple, 30% faster than the iPad 10 and 50% faster than models equipped with the A13 Bionic. Storage is also doubled: we go from 64 to 128 GB on the basic version.
However, don’t expect to be able to play with Apple Intelligence features. With only 6GB of RAM, the iPad 11 does not meet the minimum requirements needed to run AI tools locally (8GB). Surprising, especially when you know that the A16 chip, even if less powerful than the “M” chips, could have managed some AI features.
A rather contradictory strategy
The choice to exclude Apple Intelligence from this iPad contrasts with the strategy followed on the most recent iPhones. Apple marketed the iPhone 16e, a more affordable model than the other iPhone 16, but still equipped with an A18 chip and 8 GB of RAM. This configuration therefore allows it to benefit from Apple Intelligence. The argument put forward by the brand was then that artificial intelligence represents an essential advance, justifying the end of the iPhone SE economic model. The latter would have been unable to support these new features, due to lack of power.
If the exclusion of Apple Intelligence on the basic iPad 11 is based on economic arbitration, why not have followed the same logic with the iPhone? Allowing a model without AI and a model compatible with Apple Intelligence to coexist could have allowed Apple to maintain a presence in the low-cost smartphone segment, without abandoning a portion of its customer base.
Apple seems to be banking on AI to differentiate its premium products. It remains to be seen whether this voluntary segmentation of the offer will strengthen the appeal of more expensive models, or whether, on the contrary, it will fuel questions about the true added value of AI. For the moment, Apple Intelligence has received a rather mixed reception from early users.