Apple’s upcoming OLED iPad Pro pricing is estimated to start at US $1,500, potentially climbing up to a hefty US $2,000 based on various sizes and configurations (via MacRumors).
This revelation, disclosed by the Naver blog’s news aggregator account “yeux1122,” isn’t the first time a South Korean source has hinted at the significantly increased cost of Apple’s OLED iPad Pros.
A prior report from The Elec in March had estimated starting prices at $1,500 and $1,800 for the 11-inch and 13-inch models, respectively.
The latest report suggesting a $2,000 price tag for the 13-inch model might indicate a potential higher storage capacity offering by Apple. However, it might actually lead to a marginally lower top-end price, considering the current 12.9-inch iPad Pro maxed out at 2TB begins from $2,100, depending on Wi-Fi or cellular configuration.
If these predictions hold true, the price surge would result in the new 11-inch model being over 80% more expensive than the existing 11-inch iPad Pro with LED Liquid Retina display, which starts at $799.
For the 13-inch model, assuming a $1,800 base configuration, it would be around 60% pricier than the current 12.9-inch iPad Pro with mini-LED Liquid Retina XDR display, starting at $1,099.
The projected prices for the OLED iPad Pro models far surpass the starting price of certain MacBook configurations Apple presently offers. For instance, the 13.6-inch MacBook Air with an M2 chip starts at $1,199.
This price surge is primarily attributed to the substantial material costs involved in Apple’s procurement of OLED panels from LG and Samsung.
According to the report, Apple intends to validate the higher prices by augmenting storage and highlighting the OLED’s superior quality over existing iPad screens, particularly emphasizing higher contrast and brightness at a similar or even lower power consumption level.
There are prospects of MagSafe charging for the impending iPad Pro models. Furthermore, the devices may come with an updated version of the Magic Keyboard, incorporating a larger trackpad to give the iPad Pro a more laptop-like appearance than the current model,
