With the Spring Apple Event kicking off this years Apple release cycle, one of the big releases to be announced was the 5th generation of the iPad Pro. With this release of the iPad Pro 12.9″ comes the new Liquid Retina XDR display, whilst not altering the physical design of the device it does add a very slight 0.5mm depth increase to the device leading many to worry about their old accessories and their compatibility with the new devices.
The new Magic Keyboard comes in at a lower price of £329, compared to the previous model that came in at £349 when not on sale. The listing on the Apple website confirms that the new keyboard in both black and white will work with previous iPad Pro models, but does not confirm if the 2020 Magic Keyboard will work with the 5th Generation models.
Speaking to an Apple representative following the spring event, they have confirmed that the older Magic Keyboard and Smart Keyboard Folio will work with the newer models without issue. This makes a lot of sense as the accessories are expensive and this allows Apple to reduce the number of accessories they need to sell as the newer models are compatible with all previously supported iPads.
Update 29/04/2021 – Apple have now confirmed that the the first generation model is functionally compatible with the new 5th generation iiPad Pro 12.9″. Due to the slightly thicker dimensions of this new iPad Pro, it’s possible that the Magic Keyboard may not precisely fit when closed, especially when screen protectors are applied. Many current owners of the current model have used screen protectors much thicker than .5mm and had no issues so this appears to be more of a case of Apple covering themselves should there be any issues.
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