New ultra-thin iPad Pro half-survives, half-fails bend test

Vlad, 16 May 2024

The new, recently announced iPad Pros are the thinnest devices Apple's ever made, with the 11-inch model coming in at 5.3mm and the 13-inch one being a rather unreal 5.1mm thick. So, naturally, the question on our minds ever since the announcement has been - how will one of these withstand a bend test?

Luckily for us, Zack over at the JerryRigEverything YouTube channel is here with the answer, and intriguingly enough, it's not a simple "it survived" or "it failed", since the 13" iPad Pro has a trick up its sleeve. Take a look at the video below, it will make everything clear.

In case you couldn't watch for whatever reason, here's the nitty gritty. Apple has included a special part inside to help with stiffness, and it works amazingly well - when you try to bend the iPad in 'landscape mode', as it were. While it does flex, nothing breaks.

However, if you bend it in 'portrait mode', unfortunately that special plate can't do anything, and the so the space inside USB-C port becomes the weakest link, and the iPad's screen does crack near it.

Still, for a 5.1mm thick device, this performance is nothing short of outstanding. As Zack suggests, for the next generation Apple could add a new plate inside, sitting parallel with the bottom where the USB port is, to hopefully alleviate the issue that the current model has.

Of course you hopefully won't carry this in your back pocket, so trying a bend test on a huge tablet like this is more for entertainment purposes than anything else. If you're interested in purchasing one of the new iPad Pros and iPad Airs, they're already available and we've prepared the links below to make the buying process easier for you.

US iPad Air iPad Pro
11” 13" 11” 13”
128GB $600 $800 - -
256GB $700 $900 $1,000 $1,300
512GB $900 $1,100 $1,200 $1,500
1TB $1,100 $1,300 $1,600 $1,900
2TB - - $2,000 $2,300
add $150 for 5G add $200 for 5G, $100 for nano-texture glass
UK iPad Air iPad Pro
11" 13" 11" 13"
128GB £600 £800 - -
256GB £700 £900 £1,000 £1,300
512GB £900 £1,100 £1,200 £1,500
1TB £1,100 £1,300 £1,600 £1,900
2TB - - £2,000 £2,300
add £150 for 5G add £200 for 5G, £100 for nano-texture glass
Germany iPad Air iPad Pro
11" 13" 11" 13"
128GB €700 €950 - -
256GB €830 €1,080 €1,200 €1,550
512GB €1,080 €1,330 €1,450 €1,800
1TB €1,330 €1,580 €1,930 €2,280
2TB - - €2,410 €2,760
add €170 for 5G add €150 for 5G, €130 for nano-texture glass

Interestingly, Apple's Tandem OLED technology which basically stacks two OLED screens on top of each other to increase brightness, seems to have had an effect on the display's resistance to fire, as even with a direct flame applied with a lighter - nothing happens. Usually the OLEDs that are directly affected either turn white or black forever, but not in this case.

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Reader comments

  • Lolwat
  • 17 May 2024
  • CbI

Students here use pen and paper. What even are your students doing there on your ipad s tabs pro maxes

  • Marorun
  • 17 May 2024
  • 4x3

You do know that there is more than Apple and Samsung on this planet right? I can get cheaper android phone with pen support (Motorola has a nice one that not pricy) I can get cheaper android tablets with the same pen support as well.

  • Essayons
  • 17 May 2024
  • Gfs

"Is the ipad Air effective as a projectile in a platter charge? Our testers find out"

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