If you’re thinking about buying Apple’s new 12.9-inch iPad Pro (fifth-generation) and using it with the Apple Magic Keyboard you already own, there’s something you need to know: it won’t work with last year’s model.
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Despite looking basically identical to last year’s 12.9-inch iPad Pro 2020, the fifth-generation, 2021 model’s Liquid Retina XDR display adds some thickness (thanks to 10,000 mini-LEDs), in addition to a picture with significantly better brightness, contrast and detail.
That 0.5mm of extra thickness is apparently enough that it wont fit nicely with last year’s Magic Keyboard designed for a thinner iPad. That is enough to make to make the fifth-generation 2021 12.9-inch iPad Pro incompatible with forth-generation 12.9-inch Magic Keyboards, as confirmed to us by Apple. So if you’re planning to trade in your old 12.9-inch iPad Pro for the new one, you’ll have to budget for a new keyboard as well. And at $349, that’s a significant expense.
If you’re thinking about upgrading to the new 2021 11-inch iPad Pro, you have less to worry about. Since it doesn’t have the fancy new display, this iPad Pro will be compatible with all the same accessories as the previous 11-inch iPad Pro. Both new iPad Pros will be compatible with the previous-generation Apple Pencil.
The 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pros will be available for preorder on April 30th. The 11-inch model starts at $799 and the 12.9-inch model starts at $1,099. Apple says that both will ship in the second half of May.