iPad Air 3 Could Feature Four Speakers and Rear-Facing LED Flash

The next-generation iPad Air 3 could adopt the iPad Pro's four-speaker design and gain an LED flash next to the rear-facing camera, according to leaked design drawings shared with French website Nowhereelse.fr. The website cannot fully guarantee the veracity of the sketches, but the report does mention its source has been reliable on two out of three occasions in the past.

ipad-air-3-plans-ipad-7
If the design drawings prove to be true, the iPad Air 3 would have two speakers on both the top and bottom of the tablet like the iPad Pro. The inclusion of rear-facing LED flash seems more trivial, since the iPad is not a camera device in the traditional sense, but some owners do use the tablet to take photos, and Apple may be looking for ways to combat declining iPad sales.

Apple is rumored to announce the iPad Air 3 at a March media event, possibly alongside a new 4-inch iPhone and Apple Watch updates. Little is known about the iPad Air 3, beyond a report saying it will lack 3D Touch, but plausible updates could include a faster A9 or A9X processor, Oxide TFT display, Smart Connector and improved cameras.

Oxide TFT display technology would allow for more uniform color and brightness, and improved contrast, on the iPad Air 3. The tablet could also adopt the iPad Pro's variable refresh rate technology to preserve power when static images are on the screen, enabling the iPad Air 3 to have longer battery life.

Apple has not updated its 9.7-inch tablet since releasing the iPad Air 2 in October 2014.

Popular Stories

Apple Logo Zoomed

Tim Cook Teases Plans for Apple's Upcoming 50th Anniversary

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:54 pm PST by
Apple turns 50 this year, and its CEO Tim Cook has promised to celebrate the milestone. The big day falls on April 1, 2026. "I've been unusually reflective lately about Apple because we have been working on what do we do to mark this moment," Cook told employees today, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "When you really stop and pause and think about the last 50 years, it makes your heart ...
wwdc sans text feature

Apple Rumored to Announce New Product on February 19

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld. The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld. Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
Finder Siri Feature

Why Apple's iOS 26.4 Siri Upgrade Will Be Bigger Than Originally Promised

Friday February 6, 2026 3:06 pm PST by
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do. The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up. Upgraded Architecture The next-generation...
iOS 26

iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by
While the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate is now available ahead of a public release, the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April. Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far. iOS 26.3 iPhone to Android Transfer Tool iOS 26.3 makes it easier...
iphone 17 pro dark blue 1

iPhone 18 Pro Max Rumored to Deliver Next-Level Battery Life

Friday February 6, 2026 5:14 am PST by
The iPhone 18 Pro Max will feature a bigger battery for continued best-in-class battery life, according to a known Weibo leaker. Citing supply chain information, the Weibo user known as "Digital Chat Station" said that the iPhone 18 Pro Max will have a battery capacity of 5,100 to 5,200 mAh. Combined with the efficiency improvements of the A20 Pro chip, made with TSMC's 2nm process, the...

Top Rated Comments

dvkid Avatar
131 months ago
If they add support for the Pencil, that would sell it for me.

Force Touch hasn't been a cornerstone feature for me personally, and I can see there being some challenged implementing it on a bigger screen.
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Deuce on the Clock Avatar
131 months ago
the controlled leak rumours are really starting to come fast and thick..!
Thin, always thin
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
0003462 Avatar
131 months ago
If they waste the effort to put a flash into this thing just to encourage the positive feedback loop that is People Taking Photos with iPads, I'm going to walk out of the room.
The camera is also an input method. Scanning barcodes, documents and credit cards in lowlight environments will be easier with a flash.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BMcCoy Avatar
131 months ago
the controlled leak rumours are really starting to come fast and thick..!
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
PlutoPrime Avatar
131 months ago
Ah, so people holding up their iPads to take pictures with their crappy camera can turn on a tiny, useless LED light, too?
iPad isn't designed for you or me. It's designed for everyone. It's a multi-tool. To be used in caves, in hospitals, schools, on the couch. Eventually, they'll be shoving 100000000 sensors into it to make it the ultimate general purpose large screen computing device & companion (same with your phone, and watch at their respective form factors). It's a lot cheaper for them to have 1-design with all these features that fits tons of use cases, than give you a custom SKU of iPad with no LED flash because you don't use it.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mascots Avatar
131 months ago
If they waste the effort to put a flash into this thing just to encourage the positive feedback loop that is People Taking Photos with iPads, I'm going to walk out of the room.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)