Apple Prepares Breakthroughs In Early 2026: IPhone 17e, IPad Mini OLED, To MacBook Air M5

Illustration of iPad Air with M4 chip. (photo: x @appltrack)

JAKARTA - Apple seems to be starting 2026 with a super busy run. After the launch of the iPhone 17 and chip M5 at the end of 2025, the Cupertino-based company is reportedly ready to roll out a new product wave in the first half of 2026, coinciding with its 50th birthday on April 1 a golden moment called Bloomberg as the ideal time for a major innovation show.

The following line of products that will be most widely present in the first half of 2026.

iPhone 17e: the successor is 'cheap but smart' series e

After the success of the iPhone 16e which replaces the SE line, Apple is said to be releasing the iPhone 17e around February 2026. This smartphone will maintain the concept of affordable prices with a flagship feature. The screen is said to be 6.1 inches in size and may have left a notch to adopt Dynamic Island.

In the kitchen runway sector, Apple is predicted to embed the A19 chip, up from A18 in the previous generation. This performance improvement is expected to make the iPhone 17e the most affordable AI phone from Apple, with a smarter Neural Engine and GPU for direct artificial intelligence processing on devices.

iPad and iPad Air: a small, but powerful update

For the tablet line, Apple is rumored to be updating the standard iPad with the A18 chip and the iPad Air with the M4 chip. Although there is no major change in the design, performance will improve quite significantly.

Meanwhile, the eighth generation iPad mini is called the star of this update. In addition to jumping into the A19 Pro chip (equivalent to the iPhone 17 Pro), this tiny device is rumored to be using the OLED screen for the first time. The launch is expected in the spring of 2026, about 18 months after the previous model.

MacBook Air M5: engine upgrade, without OLED

After the M5 chip debut on the 14-inch MacBook Pro, it's MacBook Air's turn to get an update. According to leaks, two models are kept '13 inches and 15 inches' but the changes focus on efficiency and performance through the M5.

Apple doesn't seem to be presenting an OLED panel on MacBook Air yet, with the earliest adoption schedule in 2028. So, this will be a specification update (spec bump), not a design revolution.

MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and Mac Studio: A gradual update

Apple usually launches the M5 Pro and M5 Max variants months after the basic version. However, many analysts predict Apple can bypass this small upgrade and immediately prepare a large revamp with a new OLED and chassis at the end of 2026, along with a possible M6 chip debut.

For Mac mini and Mac Studio, leaks from macOS Tahoe indicate plans to update with M5 and M5 Pro for mini, as well as M5 Max for Studio, around summer 2026.

Monitoring line: Studio Display baru dengan miniLED

Although Mark Gurman has not mentioned it directly, strong rumors say two new monitors will come along with Mac. One of them is the new generation of Studio Display with a background miniLED (not yet OLED), resolution up to 7K, and support for ProMotion and Thunderbolt 5.

Apple Smart Home: the first step towards an integrated smart home

Apart from the main device, Apple is also reportedly ready to push the smart home ecosystem. In March 'April 2026, Apple will introduce its first smart display, available in speaker base and wall-mounted versions. This device will be equipped with an A18 chip, 8 GB RAM, camera and built-in microphone, as well as Thread and Matter support for smart home device connectivity.

This product will be the basis for launching a new, smarter and more interactive version of Siri's voice assistant. With this combination, Apple is clearly preparing to face the future of AI + smart home, where each device is connected to each other in a smart ecosystem.

Early 2026 looks like it will be a busy and historic period for Apple, when the company, which was born in the garage 50 years ago, again tried to prove that true innovation knows no age, only the rhythm of the upgrade is getting faster