According to reports from more reliable sources, it is allegedly almost guaranteed that Apple will refresh its iPad Pro lineup next month. Possibly arriving after March 19 to coincide with the start of spring, the new tablet series is rumoured to receive a design overhaul, among other refinements like a new Magic Keyboard accessory. In other words, this year's iPad Pros could represent the first visible changes since their 2018 counterparts.
Other expected highlights include the adoption of OLED panels, although Apple's approach is purported to differ from contemporary OLED displays. Supposedly, both iPad Pro sizes will feature two stacked OLED panels aligned in such a way as to deliver a 2x brightness increase while improving panel lifespan, too. Somewhat predictably, this implementation will push production costs higher than if Apple had opted for a traditional approach.
Specifically, DigiTimes reports that these new iPad Pro models will retail for approximately $160 more than their immediate predecessors. While a relatively small price increase and less than previous rumours suggested, it would still result in the cheapest 11-inch SKU costing $959. In other words, the base iPad Pro could jump by 20%, although this percentage change would scale downwards the higher a SKU's starting price. Thus, an iPad Pro 12.9 with 5G connectivity and 2 TB of storage would rise by under 7% to $2,559.
Source(s)
DigiTimes via MacRumours, Refargotohp (Unsplash) - Image credit