Apple has already unveiled numerous products to date, including new versions of the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, the iPad Air, the all-new MacBook Neo, and more. Despite having a busy season thus far, there’s still much more in the pipeline worth waiting for.
There are two new iPad releases rumored for 2026: the base iPad, and the iPad mini.
The new entry-level iPad is going to be a light refresh, for the most part. Expect an A18 or A19 chip (some rumors differ) to bring support for Apple Intelligence. It could also sport the N1 chip for improved connectivity.
iPad mini, on the other hand, is much more exciting. Rumors indicate that the next iPad mini will be the first meaningful upgrade since its last redesign in 2021. It should sport an OLED display, water resistance, and a newer chipset. OLED would be a meaningful upgrade for the iPad mini, and iPad mini would be the second iPad to gain this display tech after iPad Pro in 2024.
iPad Air is brand new, just refreshed with the M4 chip. You can safely buy that model if you’re eyeing an upgrade. M5 iPad Pro, while not quite recently refreshed, is still going to be the latest model for quite some time. iPad Pro isn’t due for M6 until sometime in 2027.
So far, the only iPhone released this year has been the iPhone 17e. That was a minor upgrade, though MagSafe was a delightful addition. If you want one, go ahead – you can’t really go wrong with this phone, especially if you want new. If you’re fine buying used, you could probably consider other options (link refurb iPhone article).
As for the rest of the iPhone lineup: we’re about at the halfway point between the iPhone 17 lineup release and the iPhone 18 lineup launch.
If you’re eyeing an iPhone 17 Pro or iPhone 17 Pro Max, I’d say we’re kind of 50/50 on this one. Sure, you can wait another 5 months until the new models come out, but rumored upgrades are rather sparse. Smaller dynamic island, a new lower aperture telephoto lens, and a new variable aperture on the main lens are the headlining upgrades. If those things don’t excite you, maybe don’t spend your time waiting.
As for iPhone Air or iPhone 17, you can probably safely buy those phones now. Rumors indicate that they won’t see a refresh until spring 2027, so you still have about a year before last year’s phones are dated. Apple is reportedly switching to a staggered released schedule with its non flagship iPhones.
Last but not least, iPhone Fold. There’s no predecessor to this one obviously, so there’s less to say here. It should debut this September (in limited volumes) for around $2000-2500. If having a foldable iPhone, or let’s say – iPhone Ultra – excites you, then you can wait for this one.
This one depends more on your buying behaviors. If you’re someone who upgrades frequently (say every 2 or 3 years), you can probably buy today’s Apple Watch Series 11, SE 3, and Ultra 3 just fine. That statement is especially true for the Apple Watch SE 3, which was only refreshed last year and isn’t typically an annually updated product.
As for infrequent buyers (say every 4-5 years, or more): Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 are probably worth waiting for. That’s for one primary reason: the chipset.
Apple doesn’t upgrade the chipset in the Apple Watch very often. You may think they do, since they usually slap a new number on it every year. Truth is, the CPU cores only get upgraded every 3 years or so. Apple Watch’s S6, S7, and S8 chips all share similar CPU cores from the A13 Bionic family, and the S9 and S10 (used in both Series 10 and Series 11, since Apple stopped upping the number) share similar CPU cores from the A16 Bionic family.
This matters if you want to reliably have 5+ years of software updates from the date of purchase. Sure, Apple will probably continue to update the Series 11 for years to come, but given the fact that the Series 12 will most definitely have a newer chipset, likely based on the A19 family, I’d say you should probably wait for that.
There aren’t many rumors for Apple Watch Series 12 outside of the chipset – though there’s a tiny chance it might sport Touch ID. Apple Watch Ultra 4, on the other hand, should introduce design tweaks, a newer chipset, as well as possibly Touch ID.
These are the bread and butter. Luckily, for most Macs, it isn’t super complicated.
MacBook Neo and MacBook Air, no brainer: buy now. Especially in the case of MacBook Neo, where reports indicate that inventory is dwindling as Apple runs out of supply of A18 Pro chips. MacBook Air, on the other hand, got refreshed just a month ago – and there isn’t a meaningful MacBook Air refresh coming anytime soon. It isn’t gaining OLED until 2028, per current report.
MacBook Pro splits two ways. If you’re after the base model 14-inch with the baseline Apple Silicon, you can buy one now – since the redesigned MacBook Pro will probably only be available with M6 Pro and M6 Max chips, not a baseline M6. The new M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pros are certainly flashy and more performant than ever, but if you want OLED, a touch display, and a new design – you’re best off waiting until October for the overhaul.
Mac mini, iMac, and Mac Studio are all due for a refresh in the coming months. These computers will likely see modest price increases (and storage bumps to compensate), but nothing major. It’ll be business as usual, bumping from the M4 family of chips to the M5 family of chips with little fanfare. These computers are incredibly low in inventory as things stand today. If you want one and can find one, go for it I suppose, but most people should likely wait to upgrade.
Let’s get the elephant out of the room: there won’t be a new Vision Pro or Vision Air in 2026. Though, there could be new Apple AI smart glasses. On the subject of AI, Apple should be debuting a new higher end trim of AirPods Pro 3 with IR cameras, which could be used for Visual Intelligence and other Apple Intelligence integrations.
Apple also has some major Home products in the pipeline, with an Apple TV 4K and HomePod mini refresh due for sometime this year. Apple should also debut its first smart home display product, rumored to be named HomePad. That’ll be wall mountable and sport a 7-inch display with an A18 chip.
What are you most excited for from Apple in 2026? Are any of these products high on your shopping list, or will you happily wait and see? Let us know in the comments.
My favorite Apple accessory recommendations:
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