Apple's OLED iPad Pro models could start at $1,500 in price leap

Apple neglected to release a single new iPad model in 2023, but that’s going to change in 2024. Apple is expected to debut a slew of iPad refreshes, including iPad Air and Pro models. These iPads could be released as soon as March, but it’s starting to look like one of them will come with a price leap. The iPad Pro, which will likely get an OLED display, is rumored to start at $1,500 for the 11-inch version. The bigger 13-inch variant is slated to start at an even higher $1,800 price point, per the reports.

The rumored pricing first came from The Elec, a Korean news outlet that has a history of accurately predicting moves in big tech. The Elec was the first to report the above starting prices for iPad Pro with OLED displays. Now, a new report from yeux1122 on the Naver blog corroborates the earlier one, confirming the $1,500 price point for the 11-inch model. However, the Naver blog post suggests the 13-inch model could actually cost more than rumored. That post says that the model will cost somewhere between $1,800 and $2,000.

OLED iPad Pro prices could cost nearly double the current prices

There are a lot of nuances in Apple pricing, like size and configuration. If Apple raises the default storage configurations, the rumored iPad pricing might not sting as much. Regardless, it’s still a massive increase over current models. The mini-LED iPad Pro starts at $800 for the 11-inch version, and the rumored OLED iPad Pro price would be nearly double the cost. There’s a slightly smaller jump from the current 12.9-inch version to the OLED iPad Pro. The latest 12.9-inch, mini-LED iPad Pro starts at $1,100, and an OLED model could cost $700 more.

Combined, these two reports have a high chance of being accurate. The price increase would fit in with Apple’s agenda for the iPad. Which is to make it a true alternative to computers. The company will likely cite the cost of OLED displays as the reason for the jump. Since the iPad Pro hasn’t been overhauled since 2018, new design and features might also justify the move.

Would you pay MacBook prices for an OLED iPad Pro?

The OLED iPad Pro’s rumored pricing would put it in line, or above, MacBook pricing. For example, Apple’s latest MacBook Air costs $1,100 for an M2 chip and a fresh design. It also uses macOS and includes a great built-in keyboard and trackpad. When you consider that an OLED iPad Pro might cost as much as $700 more than the newest MacBook Air, it starts to get confusing. We’ll have to see what Apple has in store for the OLED iPad Pro to try and justify the higher prices.