New iPad Pro has larger magnets in different places and new speakers

The thin case of the new iPad Pro hides a redesign that sees brand new speakers alongside larger magnets for attaching to peripherals.

Apple’s new iPad Pro is significantly thinner than its predecessor, and it now appears that in part to achieve that, its interior magnets and speaker arrangement have been redesigned. The iPad Pro still has quad speakers, one in each corner, and the magnets are used for attaching it to peripherals such as the Magic Keyboard.

YouTuber Marques Brownlee has examined both the old and new iPad Pro models using a sheet of magnet paper. Moving it across the back of the iPads shows where the paper reacts to the magnets, and effect is like an x-ray showing the position and sizes.

“There’s obviously tons and tons of little magnets arranged throughout an iPad Pro,” he said. “I noticed on this new iPad Pro, again, tons of magnets in lots of the same places, but over here on the side they’re bigger and more cubic now.”

On the previous iPad Pro, the magnet paper revealed that each of the quad speakers was a roughly rectangular shape. That shape has changed for the new iPad Pro, and they are more prominent, though this may be due to the thinness of the design.

“These big ovals are the quad speakers on the iPad Pro,” continued MKBHD. “On the new one, which is thinner, they’ve had to fit these different big circular speaker drivers and they’re super, super obvious, which I think means they’re closer to the top.”

Brownlee also used the magnet paper on the new Smart Folio for iPad Pro. He revealed that it’s now possible to slide the iPad up and down the Folio for the best position, and that this is achieved through its use of magnets.

“The way they did this, very cleverly, was by adding these new stripe magnets,” he said, “this big rail of magnets through the back of this case, having a single magnet line up with that.”

Apple’s own Smart Folio is only one of an increasing number of iPad accessories that are launching for the new models.