Apple last updated its cheapest iPad in October 2022, introducing the largest refresh to the base model iPad since it returned in 2017. This marked the 10th generation of the iPad, and even though its been 2.5 years since then, the 11th generation model wont bring anything substantial, for one big reason.Main confirmed upgrade: new chipMuch like the iPad mini 7 that debuted last fall, the iPad 11 is also rumored to be just a spec bump. Specifically, itll be bumping up from the A14 Bionic chip to the A17 Pro chip, according to rumors.Thisll bump it up from the chip that debuted in 2020 alongside the iPhone 12, to one that debuted in 2023 alongside the iPhone 15 Pro. That upgrade will provide a roughly 40% speed improvement, at least on the CPU side of things.Furthermore, itll bump the system memory from 4GB to 8GB, allowing for better multi-tasking and more.Apple Intelligence is all but confirmed for iPad 11, whichll bring Apples latest suite of AI features to the cheapest iPad for the first time. These features include Genmoji, Image Playground, ChatGPT support, and an all-new Siri.Potential upgradesUnfortunately, there arent any other noteworthy upgrade rumors on the table. Colors might change a little, and Apple might bump up the connectivity standards. We could possibly see Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3. There is one possible wildcard feature: Stage Manager. Apple introduced Stage Manager back in iPadOS 16, requiring an A12X (or newer) iPad Pro, or an M1 (or newer) iPad Air. Apple hasnt yet brought this feature to other iPads, but one could easily argue that an A17 Pro with 8GB of RAM would be more capable of running the software feature than an A12X chip with 4GB of RAM. Only time will tell though.Wrap upUltimately, despite the long gap between refreshes, this is just going to be yet another minor iPad spec bump. One of the larger iPad upgrades across the lineup in 2024 was moving the camera to landscape orientation, but the base model iPad already received that upgrade in 2022.Hopefully they increase the base storage from 64GB to 128GB to make things a little more interesting. This new iPad model is expected to debut this spring.What do you think of Apples upcoming iPad? Let us know in the comments.My favorite Apple accessories on Amazon:Follow Michael:X/Twitter,Bluesky,InstagramAdd 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel