Apple's upcoming OLED iPad Pro will start at $1,500, rising to between $1,800 and $2,000 depending on size and configuration, representing a major increase in prices compared to Apple's current equivalents. That's according to a new report on the news aggregator account "yeux1122" on the Naver blog.
This is the second time a Korean source has claimed that Apple's new iPad Pros will be vastly more expensive that the company's existing models. Last March, a report by The Elec estimated prices starting at $1,500 and $1,800 for the 11-inch and 13-inch models, respectively.
The $2,000 figure for the 13-inch model in the latest report could refer to a new, higher storage capacity offered by Apple, although that would actually present a slightly lower top-end price – the current 12.9-inch iPad Pro maxed out at 2TB starts from $2,100, depending on Wi-Fi or cellular configuration.
If accurate, these price hikes would make the new 11-inch device over 80% more expensive than the existing 11-inch iPad Pro with LED Liquid Retina display, which starts at $799. As for the 13-inch model, assuming a base configuration costing $1,800, it would be around 60% more expensive than the current 12.9-inch iPad Pro with mini-LED Liquid Retina XDR display, which starts at $1,099.
For further reference, the OLED iPad Pro price estimates far exceed the starting price of some MacBook configurations that Apple currently sells, with the 13.6-inch MacBook Air with M2 chip starting at $1,199. The main reason for the price hikes is believed to be the large proportion of material costs taken up by Apple's OLED panel procurement from the likes of LG and Samsung.
Today's report suggests that Apple will justify the higher prices by increasing storage and emphasizing the benefits in quality of OLED over existing iPad screens, particularly the higher contrast and brightness offered at an equivalent or lower level of power consumption. The report also implies that Apple will promote the new devices' thinness and lightness compared to rival tablets and/or previous-generation iPads.
MagSafe charging is a possibility for the upcoming iPad Pro models, and the devices will also be accompanied by a refreshed version of the Magic Keyboard that includes a larger trackpad to make the iPad Pro look more like a laptop than the current model, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
New iPad Air and iPad Pro models and accompanying accessories are expected to launch around the end of March, which is also when Apple plans to release iOS 17.4 and iPadOS 17.4. Apple is likely to hold a spring event to introduce the new devices, according to Gurman.
