New iPad Pro M3: Rumors about the new 11, 12, and 14-inch models

Macworld

The current iPad range is one of the most populated we’ve seen. It includes two iterations of the standard iPad, the iPad mini, the iPad Air, and the 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models, so there’s plenty to choose from. It seems Apple isn’t stopping there, though; rumors suggest it could be adding an even larger iPad Pro to the line-up. Here’s everything we know about the next-generation iPad Pro, including the rumored 14-inch model.

Update: New thinner iPad Pro coming soon.

New iPad Pro release date: When will the M3 iPad Pro arrive?

Following no iPad updates at all in 2023, it looks like there will be a new iPad Pro in 2024. With the last update to the range being in October 2022, and iPad Pro launches tending to happen every 18 months, a spring 2024 update could be on the cards, perhaps at an Apple spring event, if Apple holds one in 2024.

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman said in a newsletter in December 2023 that the new iPad Pro could launch in March 2024. He also said at the end of January 2024 in a Power On newsletter that Apple has gone into “deep” production with the next generation of iPads and the MacBook Air to prepare for a late March release.

However, we could be waiting a little longer for the update, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Kuo had been expecting the new Pros to enter mass production early in the first half of 2024, but as of November 2023, he suggests production has been pushed back too late in the first half, or even the second half, of 2024.

For some clues as to when Apple could launch the new iPad Pro, we can look at past launches, bearing in mind that Apple has been inconsistent with the launch windows from previous models. Here’s when they made their debuts:

iPad Pro 11-inch and 12.9-inch (6th gen): Oct 2022

iPad Pro 11-inch and 12.9-inch (5th gen): Apr 2021

iPad Pro 11-inch and 12.9-inch (4th gen): Mar 2020

iPad Pro 11-inch and 12.9-inch (3rd gen): Oct 2018

iPad Pro 10.5-inch and 12.9-inch (2nd gen): June 2017

iPad Pro 9.7-inch (1st gen): Mar 2016

iPad Pro 12.9-inch (1st gen): Nov 2015

We could see the new iPad Pro around April, but we could be waiting until June 2024.

Read about the other new products Apple is launching in 2024.

New iPad Pro design and dimensions: A thinner lighter model could be coming

A 9to5Mac report in February 2024 indicated that the new iPad Pro will be thinner. This is apparently a result of Apple’s switch to OLED for the screen, which will shave some millimeters off the thickness of the device.

The new dimensions are said to be as follows:

11-inch iPad Pro (2024): 249.7 mm x 177.5 mm x 5.1 mm (currently 11-inch iPad Pro (2022): 247.6 mm x 178.5 mm x 5.9 mm)

12.9-inch iPad Pro (2024): 281.5 mm x 215.5 mm x 5.0 mm (currently 12.9-inch iPad Pro (2022): 280.6 mm x 214.9 mm x 6.4 mm)

If Apple does reduce the thickness of the iPad Pro it isn’t clear what this will mean for the next gen iPad Air, which is reported to be getting a new larger model, making it even more like the iPad Pro.

Also regarding the design of the iPad Pro, a code snippet in the iOS 17.4 beta suggests that Apple might move the camera from portrait to landscape orientation like it has with the standard iPad. The code indicates that FaceID setup could happen with the iPad in landscape orientation.

iOS 17.4 Beta 1 (21E5184i) changes:1) Text hints at new iPads with horizontal Face ID Layout Even though it says 'iPad' this is most likely for the new iPad Pro due this March. 'During Face ID setup, iPad needs to be in landscape with the camera at the top of the screen.'2)… pic.twitter.com/NcmsH4J2NE— Steve Moser (@SteveMoser) January 25, 2024

New iPad Pro size: Is there going to be a 14-inch iPad Pro?

Currently, there are two sizes of iPad Pro: a 12.9-inch model and an 11-inch iPad Pro.

Reports suggest that Apple could soon launch a new 14-inch model alongside the 11- and 12-inch iPad Pro models, or perhaps the 14-inch model will replace one of the other options.

The rumor of a larger-screened iPad started with Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman back in June 2021. He wrote that Apple was considering making iPads with larger displays, but not to expect anything for a few years. In December 2023 Gurman suggested the new iPad Pro could be 13-inches.

Another leaker named Majin Bu has also posted that a new 14.1-inch iPad Pro is in development.

Display analyst Ross Young also claimed in 2022 that a 14.1-inch iPad Pro model was in development, and that “early 2023” was a likely release schedule. It appears that the tweet is no longer on Twitter/X, but initially, he tweeted the following on June 9. 2022.

“Confirmed the 14.1” iPad Pro is being developed with our supply chain sources. It will have MiniLEDs and ProMotion. Not sure of the timing, but early 2023 may be more likely.— Ross Young (@DSCCRoss) June 9, 2022. (Clearly, a 2023 release did not happen.)

There are also rumors that a larger iPad Air is in the works, with Apple set to launch a new 12.9-inch iPad Air in 2024. Should this materialize then a larger iPad Pro may make sense in the lineup.

With the release of Logic Pro and Final Cut Pro on the iPad, it makes a lot of sense for Apple to offer an iPad with a larger screen and external display support.

New iPad Pro display: Will the new iPad Pro have an OLED screen?

Apple

The current LED (on the 10.9-inch model) and mini-LED (on the 12.9-inch iPad Pro) are to be replaced by OLED, according to Ming-Chi Kuo in November 2023. The iPad Pro will be the first iPad to transition to OLED displays, with the rest of the iPad lineup to follow.

Back in December 2022, Display analyst Ross Young suggested that Apple is planning to move the entire iPad line to OLED by 2024. This matches what Gurman wrote (in January 2023) when he predicted that “an updated design and OLED screens” would be coming to the iPad in the spring of 2024.

There is yet more evidence that OLEDs are coming: market research company Omdia has also stated that the iPad Pro could see OLED upgrades by 2024. In addition, leaker Yeux1122 has claimed that Apple is in negotiations with LG, Samsung, and Chinese companies for active matrix OLEDs (AMOLEDs). More here: Apple may upgrade nearly every iPad with an OLED display.

New iPad Pro price: How much will the 2024 iPad Pro cost?

At the moment, these are the starting prices for each model in the current iPad Pro range.

iPad Pro 11-inch Wi-Fi (2022): $799/£899

iPad Pro 11-inch Cellular (2022): $999/£1,079

iPad Pro 12.9-inch Wi-Fi (2022): $1,099/£1,249

iPad Pro 12.9-inch Cellular (2022): $1,299/£1,429

If Apple moves to OLED screens and introduces a larger iPad Pro we may see a price hike. “If Apple wants to maintain the price gap between the iPad Air and iPad Pro to preserve its existing product segmentation strategy,” Kuo explains, “it means that the new OLED iPad Pros may see a price increase.”

If Apple introduces a larger 14-inch iPad Pro we are likely to see price rises at the top of the range, although that depends on whether Apple discontinues the 12.9-inch model or keeps that in the lineup. There is currently a $300 gap between the base 11-inch and 12.9-inch models. So if the 12.9-inch model remains we could see the 14-inch iPad Pro start at $1,399/£1,529 or thereabouts. However, Apple could remove the 12.9-inch model and the 14-inch iPad Pro could start at $1,099/£1,249 or slightly more than that.

New iPad Pro specs: What features will the 2024 iPad Pro have?

The current iPad Pros are powered by the M2 chip, so it makes sense for an M3 chip to appear in any new 2024 models. We don’t think the M3 Pro is a likely option, though, as the Pro versions of Apple’s chips have so far only appeared on the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro and Mac mini, and the M2 in the iPad Pros already provides more power than it needs. Also due to the iPad’s thin, finless design, it seems more sensible for a standard M3 to be at the heart of a 14-inch iPad Pro.

A tweet from June 2022 by Majin Bu suggested that the 14-inch iPad Pro would contain an M2 processor, 16GB of RAM and 512GB of base storage. That tweet was some time ago now though so a M3-chip would be more likely now.

According to my resource, Apple is developing a new 14.1-inch iPad M2 with 512GB and 16GB of base memory. The new M2 line is expected to include a new 11-inch model with no major changes, a new 12.9 model with reduced bezels and this new 14.1 iPad #Apple #AppleRumor— Majin Bu (@MajinBuOfficial) June 8, 2022

Apple currently sells 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB and 2TB iPad Pro configurations – which is a lot of configurations when you consider all the color combinations and screen sizes. It’s possible that the company could change to starting with 512GB at the entry-level, although we think it more likely that the company will drop the 128GB model from the lineup.

New iPad Pro specs: New keyboard

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman indicated in a September 2023 newsletter that Apple is planning a new aluminium Magic Keyboard with a larger trackpad, that will be released alongside the M3 iPad Pro.

The aluminium finish could make it more like a laptop when linked to the iPad.

We’ll update this article as more details are revealed, so check back regularly to see what we dig up. In the meantime, we’ve rounded up the best deals on iPad Pros so you can always get one now rather than waiting.

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