Apple’s rumored six-inch ‘AI wall tablet’ could control your smart home by March 2025

For months now, there have been rumors about a smart home display Apple is supposedly working on. Now Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says the display will be wall-mounted and control smart home devices, attend video calls, and more, similar to the Amazon Echo Hub, and works on its own but requires an iPhone to complete the initial setup.

The iPad-like device, which will reportedly be available as soon as next March, has a six-inch display with thick edges, a built-in camera, a rechargeable battery, and speakers, according to Gurman. The plan is to have Siri and Apple Intelligence voice control support as well.

If the rumors are true, the smart display will offer a centralized way to control HomeKit-compatible lights, security cameras, sensors, thermostats, and more. Apple may also have a plan to build out its smart home ecosystem with even more products, as supply-chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo just reported that the company aims to start producing a smart home camera in 2026.

Apple has reportedly created multiple bases for the smart display, so it can hang on the wall or sit on a countertop using a stand with extra speakers (like the dock-equipped Google Pixel Tablet) and run a new operating system that “looks like a blend of the Apple Watch operating system and the iPhone’s recently launched StandBy mode.”

Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge

The display will reportedly use sensors to detect how close a person is to the screen, allowing it to adjust what it’s showing based on how far away someone is. Apple’s display is also rumored to support the company’s Handoff feature that lets users continue tasks across different devices.

The device will reportedly be available in silver and black, and Gurman says the company is also working on a more expensive version with a robotic arm that can tilt and spin its screen. The Verge reached out to Apple with a request for comment but didn’t immediately hear back.

Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge