iPadOS 27 drops support for older iPads

With iPadOS 27, Apple has effectively drawn the line at the A14 Bionic and M1 chips. Any iPad powered by an A14, M1, or newer processor will be eligible for the latest software update. These supported iPad models are:

The decision marks one of Apple’s most aggressive cuts to iPad compatibility in recent years. By comparison, iPadOS 26 only dropped support for a single model: the iPad (7th gen).

While the move may disappoint owners of older iPads, there are several reasons behind Apple’s decision. The company is increasingly designing new iPadOS features around more powerful silicon, particularly as AI, machine learning, and on-device processing become central to the user experience. Older chips, such as the A12X/A12Z processors found in the discontinued models, were designed before the era of on-device AI and are becoming increasingly difficult to support without compromising performance or battery life.

Source: Apple