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How to buy the iPad Pro (2021)

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Apple’s new iPad Pro (2021) is here for 2021, officially making the leap to Apple’s in-house M1 chip and sporting an upgraded Liquid Retina XDR screen with HDR support. It also has 5G compatibility, Thunderbolt and USB4 support, new camera features … everything you would want in a new iPad, basically. So it’s not surprising if you already want to buy one.

Here’s everything to know about availability and what to expect if you’re looking to purchase the iPad Pro in either the 11-inch or 12.9-inch size.

Availability date and pricing

Apple iPad Pro with M1 chip and Apple Pencil
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The new M1 iPad Pro started shipping in the final weeks of May and is now broadly available at a variety of sites, as well as Apple’s own site, which has the best customization and personalization options for ordering your iPad. But let’s take a look at pricing: This time around, there are two different versions of the iPad Pro with significantly different pricing between the models.

  • iPad Pro 11-inch (2021) pricing: $799 to $2,099 (financing starts at $66.58 per month).
  • iPad Pro 12.9-inch (2021) pricing: $1,099 to $2,399 (financing starts at $91.58 per month).

Buying from Apple

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Buying right from Apple is the most direct approach for pre-ordering and the best way to ensure you get all available customization options as well as avoid potential shipping delays. Here’s what to do.

Step 1: Head to Apple’s iPad Pro webpage and choose your size. The first and most important choice for your pre-order is deciding what size iPad Pro you want. The 11-inch version comes with the more traditional Liquid Retina display, while the 12.9-inch version bumps up screen size and upgrades to the new Liquid Retina XDR display.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 2: Make other specification choices. Here’s what you can choose during customization:

    • Finish: This time, the iPad Pro is limited to Space Gray and silver.
    • Storage: There are five storage options for the iPad Pro’s solid-state drive, ranging from 128GB to 2TB. This is another spec that has a large impact on price.
    • Connectivity: Either Wi-Fi only or add Cellular support if you have a compatible data plan.
    • Accessories: Take a look at our own recommendations and look at Apple’s accessory store for any other devices you may need, like a keypad or the Apple Pencil. Note that accessories are sized differently for the 11-inch versus the 12.9-inch versions of the iPad Pro, so buy accordingly.


Step 3: Add engraving and AppleCare+ if necessary. These are optional steps depending on how you feel about personalization and adding more warranty protection.

Step 4: Place your order. Select the Add to Bag button at the bottom to finalize your choices and then Review Bag to Check Out and make your payment. Note that Apple is good at storing your specification selections if you want to save this webpage for a later visit after making your choices.

Alternative option: Wait for the big retailers

Best Buy

If you don’t want to order from Apple, other major retailers are also allowing orders from their own sites. You may prefer this option if you have a gift card for a specific retailer or an account where you can earn customer rewards. You can check availability at any time by visiting their iPad results, linked below:

Looking for deals

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Finding a deal on an Apple device can be a challenge, but there are a few tactics you try if saving money is part of your plan.

Look for education deals: Apple is offering some excellent education discounts for the iPad Pro (2021), which you can find in the education pricing section. Current or newly accepted college students, their parents, faculty or staff for any school grade, and homeschool teachers all qualify for a $749 deal on the 11-inch iPad Pro and a $999 deal for the 12.9-inch model.

Trading in older Apple devices: One of the most direct ways to save is to trade in a current Apple device when you are upgrading to your new iPad Pro to immediately apply a rebate to the purchase. Apple allows you to do this when you pre-order, although you will have to have the device details handy.

Look for iPad deals from carriers: While iPad deals aren’t as common as smartphone deals among phone carriers, you can still find them. In this case, if you buy the cellular version of the 2021 iPad Pro and activate it with AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon, you can get up to $200 back. Check your own carrier for individual details when the time comes!

Wait for store discounts: For a spring release, discounts aren’t likely to hit the new iPad right away. But if you are willing to bide your time, you can look for store discounts or included freebies as big shopping days approach (Memorial Day, for example). Note that this can always vary: Amazon, for example, had a $50 discount on the iPad Pro only a few days after it was made available, although deals like this tend to sell out immediately, so setting up alerts may be a good idea.

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Tyler Lacoma
Tyler Lacoma
Former Digital Trends Contributor
If it can be streamed, voice-activated, made better with an app, or beaten by mashing buttons, Tyler's into it. When he's not…
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