Brands Guides About
Apple iPad Pro 12.9-inch (5th Gen) 128GB Wi-Fi + Cellular Renewed — main product image
Apple

Apple iPad Pro 12.9-inch (5th Gen) 128GB Wi-Fi + Cellular Renewed

★★★★★4.4 (837 reviews)
Apple M112MP10MP

M1 horsepower and a mini-LED XDR display in a renewed 12.9-inch iPad Pro that performs like new for a fraction of the price.

$499.00*
✓ In Stock on Amazon.com
View on Amazon

*Price sourced from Amazon.com. Last updated:Jun 06, 2026.Price and availability are subject to change.

Affiliate Disclosure: Studio Supplies may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this page, at no additional cost to you. This helps support our editorial team.

Notice a mistake? Let Us Know

Overview

The 2021 iPad Pro 12.9-inch (5th Generation) represents the point at which Apple brought its M1 silicon — the same chip driving the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro of the same era — into a tablet form factor. In practical terms, this means the iPad Pro no longer throttles under sustained workloads. Video encoding in LumaFusion, large canvas work in Procreate, and complex spreadsheet rendering in Numbers all run without the performance dips that characterized earlier A-series iPad Pros under pressure. The 12.9-inch Liquid Retina XDR display, powered by mini-LED backlighting with over 2500 local dimming zones, achieves 1000 nits full-screen brightness and up to 1600 nits for HDR content — numbers that translate to genuine HDR grading accuracy and outdoor readability that smaller tablets cannot match.

The Thunderbolt port is the connectivity story that separates this generation. At 40Gb/s, it supports full-resolution output to an external display and fast enough throughput to meaningfully edit footage from an external NVMe drive. Paired with 5G on this Wi-Fi + Cellular model, the device handles connectivity demands that would previously have required a laptop. As a renewed unit at 128GB, it occupies a compelling price point for professionals who want M1 performance and XDR display quality without the new-device premium — provided they audit the seller's condition standards and plan around the storage ceiling.

Key Features

Apple M1 chip for next-level performance

Brilliant 12.9-inch Liquid Retina XDR display with ProMotion, True Tone, and P3 wide color

TrueDepth camera system featuring Ultra Wide camera with Center Stage

12MP Wide camera, 10MP Ultra Wide camera, and LiDAR Scanner for immersive AR

5G for superfast downloads and high-quality streaming

Specifications

Model
iPad Pro 12.9-inch (5th Generation)
Year
2021
Processor
Apple M1 chip
Storage
128GB
Display
12.9-inch Liquid Retina XDR
Display Features
ProMotion, True Tone, P3 wide color
Connectivity
Wi-Fi + Cellular (5G)
Port
Thunderbolt
Rear Cameras
12MP Wide, 10MP Ultra Wide
Front Camera
TrueDepth Ultra Wide with Center Stage
Scanner
LiDAR Scanner
Compatibility
Apple Pencil (2nd gen), Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro
Condition
Renewed

Pros & Cons

👍 Pros

  • M1 chip delivers desktop-class sustained performance that rarely hits a thermal ceiling during demanding tasks
  • 12.9-inch Liquid Retina XDR display with mini-LED backlighting produces exceptional contrast for color-critical work
  • 5G + Wi-Fi connectivity on this model handles high-bandwidth tasks even away from fixed networks
  • Thunderbolt port enables pro-level external display and high-speed storage connections
  • LiDAR Scanner adds measurable AR accuracy and improves low-light autofocus for video and photography apps
  • Renewed pricing provides access to M1 performance at a meaningful discount over new MSRP

👎 Cons

  • 128GB base storage fills quickly in media-heavy workflows; no option to expand onboard storage
  • Renewed units may ship without original retail accessories — verify what is included before purchase
  • Battery health history is not always fully disclosed; cycle count transparency varies by reseller
  • 5G connectivity requires a compatible carrier plan — the cellular hardware is present but not free to activate
  • No USB-A port; all accessories and peripherals require USB-C or Thunderbolt adapters

Frequently Asked Questions

Renewed means the unit has been professionally inspected, tested, and certified to be fully functional. Apple's Renewed program (or third-party certified refurbishers) grades units for cosmetic condition — expect minimal to no visible wear on screen or housing. Battery health is typically confirmed to meet a minimum threshold. Always verify the seller's specific grading criteria before purchasing.
128GB is the entry-level configuration for the 5th-gen iPad Pro. For light creative work — sketching in Procreate, document editing, video playback — it is workable. For video editing in Final Cut Pro or large app libraries with offline media, storage will become a bottleneck relatively quickly. Budget for iCloud offloading or external Thunderbolt storage if your workflow is media-heavy.
Thunderbolt on this iPad Pro supports up to 40Gb/s data transfer — enough for external Pro Display XDR, high-speed SSD workflows, and video output at full resolution. It is a meaningful step up from USB-C on earlier iPad Pros and enables a legitimate desktop-replacement connection profile.
The M1 replaced the A12Z Bionic in the 4th-gen iPad Pro. The M1 brings an 8-core CPU and 8-core GPU, delivering roughly 50% faster CPU performance and significantly better sustained performance under thermal load. For tasks like photo rendering, AR processing, or running complex iPad apps, the headroom improvement is tangible.
Yes. The 5th-generation iPad Pro 12.9-inch supports the Apple Pencil (2nd generation) and the Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro, including the 12.9-inch version with trackpad.

Related Products