I’ve been using the iPad Pro for more than a week now—you can read my review here—and one of the first things I did was seek to answer the question of whether last year’s Magic Keyboard would fit this year’s iPad Pro.
As you may know, the 12.9-inch iPad Pro is the only one in question because it’s thicker than last year’s. The smaller, 11-inch iPad Pro has identical dimensions so, if you have last year’s Magic Keyboard, it will fit the new iPad Pro perfectly. You don’t need to buy a new one.
But the larger tablet is thicker by 0.5mm. Such a slender extra you can’t feel the difference. But the Magic Keyboard can, Apple warned.
The company was clear that the new tablet will functionally work in the old keyboard. All the connectors are in the same place, so there’s no issue there.
But the problem could arise when you tried to close the Magic Keyboard around the iPad Pro.
Such are the tolerances to which Apple works, the 0.5mm extra could make a difference, especially, Apple pointed out, if the iPad has a screen protector on it.
Just as a side note, does anyone put a screen protector on an iPad? The joy of the display, especially the latest 12.9-inch iPad Pro with its stunning miniLED screen, is seeing it in the greatest clarity possible, and no screen protector is completely transparent.
Anyway, back to tolerances.
There is some latitude in these things: the 11-inch iPad Pro and the latest iPad Air are different thicknesses and both fit the 11-inch Magic Keyboard. But the difference there is just 0.2mm.
So, I’ve patiently tried matching tablets and keyboards to be able to give the definitive answer.
The pictures below show the 2021 iPad Pro—this is easily spotted because the 2020 model had smaller holes in the audio grilles and there were more of these little holes than on the latest tablet.
Above is the 2020 Magic Keyboard folio in space gray and below, the new version in its pristine white finish.
I can confirm the fit is perfect, and effortless. There’s no awkwardness as you close it or extra effort required. Of course, I don’t have a screen protector on the iPad.
I’ve also tried the 2020 iPad Pro in the 2021 Magic Keyboard. Again, a perfect fit, although there is a small but visible gap at the closed end of the folio. Proof, if any were needed, that the new Magic Keyboard is built with extra space to better accommodate the thicker iPad Pro.
Conclusion 1: unless you have a screen protector on your 12.9-inch iPad, you don’t need to splash out for the new Magic Keyboard.
Conclusion 2: Unless you want the splendid new white keyboard.
