Not gonna lie, I had low expectations for putting iPadOS 26 on a 5 year-old iPad that only has 3 GB of RAM and the A12. I was not disappointed. Practically it can do 2 windows or the old split-screen. Beyond that it gets extremely stuttery and laggy. Now I know this is the first dev beta and should get refinement and improved performance throughout the summer, but there are limits. That said, I'm surprised that this model supports 26 and I'm even more surprised that it works reasonably well. iPad 8 has the same processor and memory as the iPad mini 5 (2019) and the iPhone XR (2018). The mini 5 is officially supported, the XR is not. In split or full screen modes performance on the iPad 8 is adequate. Apps that are basically web wrappers like MLB will redraw and reflow dynamically, though they will struggle in the process. Overall, can't complain.
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iPadOS 26 on an iPad 8 (A12, 2020)
- Thread starter mlayer
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iPhone 7 and 7 Plus - A10
Can only upgrade/update to iOS 15
iPad 6 - A10
Can only upgrade/update to iPadOS 17
iPad 7 - A10
Can only upgrade/update to iPadOS 18
Expect performance issues when upgrading/updating to the latest version. My iPhone 11 Pro Max can upgrade/update to iOS 26 but I have read that some are already noticing performance issues on iOS 18 which is why I am keeping it on iOS 17.7
Can only upgrade/update to iOS 15
iPad 6 - A10
Can only upgrade/update to iPadOS 17
iPad 7 - A10
Can only upgrade/update to iPadOS 18
Expect performance issues when upgrading/updating to the latest version. My iPhone 11 Pro Max can upgrade/update to iOS 26 but I have read that some are already noticing performance issues on iOS 18 which is why I am keeping it on iOS 17.7