New iPad Pro (2020) release date, price & specs

• Two new iPad Pro models have been announced
• No new screen sizes – 11in and 12.9in again
• A12Z Bionic processor chips: “faster and more powerful than most Windows PC laptops”
• Ultra Wide camera
• Depth-sensing LiDAR scanner
• 128GB/256GB/512GB/1TB storage configurations
• Available in silver and Space Grey
• Start at £769/$799 for 11in, £969/$999 for 12.9in

Hours after the launch was leaked on its own Chinese website, Apple has announced two new iPad Pro models for 2020.

The new devices come in the same 11in and 12.9in sizes as in 2018, but feature upgraded cameras, processors and audio, and a new depth-sensing scanner. In this article we give you all the launch details: when the new iPads will go on sale, their prices and tech specs, the new features for this generation and everything else you need to know.

Release date: When will the new iPad Pro come out?

The new iPad Pro models are available to order right now – 18 March – from Apple’s website. They will appear in stores next week (starting Monday 23 March) and we assume orders will start shipping at the same time.

iPad Pro 2020 prices

Some good news here. Apple has got the new models out of the door at the same starting prices as in 2018 (£769/$799 for 11in, £969/$999 for 12.9in) but with twice the storage: 128GB instead of 64GB.

And the top-end models are cheaper than previously, with the 1TB cellular models costing £1,419/$1,449 for the 11in version and £1,619/$1,649 for the 12.9in. For the previous generation those numbers were £1,669/$1,699 and £1,869/$1,899 respectively, so we’re looking at a cut in price of more than £200/$200.

Here’s the full pricing for the new tablets. Prices for each model are listed for 128GB, 256GB, 512GB and 1TB storage configurations, in that order.

• iPad Pro 11in (2020, Wi-Fi): £769/$799, £869/$899, £1,069/$1,099, £1,269/$1,299
• iPad Pro 11in (2020, cellular): £919/$949, £1,019/$1,049, £1,219/$1,249, £1,419/$1,449
• iPad Pro 12.9in (2020, Wi-Fi): £969/$999, £1,069/$1,099, £1,269/$1,299, £1,469/$1,499
• iPad Pro 12.9in (2020, cellular: £1,119/$1,149, £1,219/$1,249, £1,419/$1,449, £1,619/$1,649

Tech specs & new features

Here are the headline specs and new features. We’ll put these to the test when we get our hands on review samples.

A12Z Bionic processor chip – intriguing! We’ve never had a Z edition of an Apple chip before. Apple has released few details but says it will make the new iPad Pro models “faster and more powerful than most Windows PC laptops”. We assume it’s a third version of the A12 from 2018; the 2018 iPad Pros had the A12X.

128GB/256GB/512GB/1TB of storage – as mentioned above, this sees the previous 64GB baseline storage option removed and replaced by twice as much, at the same price. Expected, but nice to see.

11in and 12.9in displays – same as in 2018, with 600 nits brightness and a P3 wide colour gamut. Apple hasn’t released details of the resolution but we expect this too to be the same (2732×2048 for 12.9in and 2388×1668 for 11in, both at 264ppi), since it’s still branded as Liquid Retina. True Tone and the dynamically adjusted 120Hz ProMotion feature are present as well.

Pro cameras – what does that mean? The Pros have twin camera lenses on the rear: a 12Mp wide angle and a 10Mp ultra-wide. The front-facing camera doesn’t get much of a mention so we figure it’s the same 7Mp as previously.

5 x studio-quality mics – Apple is talking up the new iPad Pros’ ability to capture “super clean audio and the quietest details”. The previous generation had five mics too, so that’s not changed; we’ll have to evaluate the quality of the new models in our testing labs.

LiDAR scanner – Apple seems to be pushing this as the flagship feature, but it’ll have a job to do explaining the advantages of this slightly obscure inclusion. It’s a depth sensor, and will therefore come into its own when visualising the world in 3D; Apple points to augmented reality as its primary application.

Support for Apple Pencil (second gen) – same as in 2018. The 2020 Pros do not have Lightning ports and therefore wouldn’t able to charge the original Apple Pencil. It charges the newer one wirelessly, while holding it in place magnetically.

Read Which iPads work with which Apple Pencils? for more clarification.

New Magic Keyboard – this looks nice. As well as supporting the Smart Keyboard Folio, the new iPad Pros are compatible with a new Magic Keyboard, which attaches magnetically and has a trackpad! The fact that the devices can work with a trackpad is down to a software update in iPadOS 13.4.

Bad news: the Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro won’t launch until May. It’ll cost £299 for the 11in version, and £349 for the 12.9in one.

Read our iPad Pro 12.9in (2020) review for more information.

Further reading

If you’re interested in cheaper alternatives coming up this year, read about the latest new iPad Air 2020 rumours. And for broader advice related to your next purchase, read our iPad buying guide and roundup of the best iPad deals.