With a new iPad model or two out in the wild, it’s not surprising that things have changed. A slightly different shape means it might not be as easy as you think to find a case for your older iPad, so what are your options?
There’s a new iPad Pro and it’s not exactly the same, so what does that mean for the keyboard case? There are differences, and depending on which way you go, you might find compatibility issues.
First off, there’s using an old iPad Pro in a new case.
Can the 2018 iPad Pro fit in the 2020 iPad Pro case?
There’s good news if you have the 2018 iPad Pro but not the Smart Keyboard Folio, because while Apple no longer sells the folio for the 2018 model, it doesn’t matter: the 2018 iPad Pro fits in the 2020 Smart Keyboard Folio case.
The single camera of the 2018 iPad Pro fits in the softener square spot carved out for the 2020 iPad Pro, so if you need a Smart Keyboard Folio and don’t have one — or have one and it’s severely used — you can get the folio made for the new iPad Pro for an older iPad Pro (provided it’s the same size: 11 or 12.9).
Can the 2020 iPad Pro fit in the 2018 iPad Pro case?
But let’s say you want to go the opposite way.
What if you bought an iPad Pro this year and found yourself a less expensive iPad Pro case from 2018 on eBay or Gumtree, because saving money is a nice thing to do.
Well if you went the opposite way and tried using a 2020 iPad Pro in a 2018 iPad Pro Smart Keyboard Folio case, you might find it doesn’t quite fit perfectly, thanks to that larger camera array.
The older iPad Pro Smart Keyboard case only has a camera cut out large enough for the spots left for the single camera and flash in the older iPad Pro, and unfortunately they’re just too small for the new iPad Pro.
Sadly, if you want to save money and buy a used accessory for the new iPad Pro — or just keep your old one — you won’t get much luck here.
What about the Apple Pencil: are they compatible?
Fortunately one accessory is compatible between the models, with the Apple Pencil made for the current iPad Pro models supported between the tablets.
We’re talking about the variant of the Apple Pencil that has a flat edge to it and thus feels more like a pencil. The same Apple Pencil that sits on the side of the iPad Pro to recharge and pair works regardless of which iPad Pro you have: 2018 or 2020, 11 or 12.9 inches.
