Combined Weight of a 12.9-inch iPad Pro and a Magic Keyboard Is Heavier Than a 13-inch MacBook Air

Apple hasn't specified the weight of its new Magic Keyboard, but a MacRumors reader who received their unit early has weighed the larger model for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro and found it to be 710 grams. That makes the Magic Keyboard heavier than the ‌iPad Pro‌, which weighs 641 grams.

EBC4B2D2 E53F 4CFC AA99 12E3605F206B

Image by OzMoon

It's not surprising that the keyboard has to have some heft to counterbalance a connected ‌iPad Pro‌ and provide a sturdy base for working on. But that makes their combined weight 1,351 grams, which is heavier than a 13-inch MacBook Air (1,290 grams) and closer to the weight of a 13-inch MacBook Pro (1,370 grams).

So if you were expecting a 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ and Magic Keyboard to be a lighter option than using a laptop when you're on the road, then it's worth being aware that that's not necessarily going to be the case. On the other hand, 9to5Mac claims the Magic Keyboard for the 11-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ weighs 601 grams, which would mean that their combined weight would be 1,072 grams. That's lighter than any MacBook that Apple currently sells.

In our upcoming review of the new Magic Keyboard, we'll look at weight considerations, portability, and more. Apple's Magic Keyboard includes a floating cantilevered design for viewing angles, a backlit keyboard with scissor-switch keys, and an integrated trackpad. You can order one for the 11-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ for $299, and for the 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ for $349 on Apple.com.

Related Roundup: iPad Pro
Buyer's Guide: iPad Pro (Buy Now)

Popular Stories

Apple Announces Special Event in New York Feature 1

Apple Reportedly Plans to Unveil at Least Five New Products Next Week

Sunday February 22, 2026 9:48 am PST by
In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple will have a three-day stretch of product announcements from Monday, March 2 through Wednesday, March 4. In total, he expects Apple to introduce "at least five products." Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. A week ago, Apple invited selected journalists and content creators to an "Apple Experience" in...
iOS 26

iOS 26.3.1 Update for iPhones Coming Soon as 'Apple Experience' Nears

Sunday February 22, 2026 5:29 pm PST by
Apple's software engineers are testing iOS 26.3.1, according to the MacRumors visitor logs, which have been a reliable indicator of upcoming iOS versions. iOS 26.3.1 should be a minor update that fixes bugs and/or security vulnerabilities, and it will likely be released within the next two weeks. Last month, Apple released iOS 26.2.1 with bug fixes and support for the second-generation...
iPhone 18 Pro Deep Red Feature

Apple is Testing These iPhone 18 Pro and Foldable iPhone Colors

Sunday February 22, 2026 8:41 am PST by
The special new color that Apple is considering for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max this year is red, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Specifically, he said that Apple is testing a "deep red" finish for the two devices. If this rumor materializes, it would be the first time that the Pro and Pro Max models ever come in red, and the iPhone 18 Pro models would be the first...
tim cook data privacy day

Tim Cook Warned by CIA That China Could Move on Taiwan by 2027

Tuesday February 24, 2026 4:03 am PST by
Apple CEO Tim Cook was among a handful of top tech executives who attended a classified CIA briefing warning that China could attack Taiwan by 2027, according to a sweeping investigative report by The New York Times ($). The previously unreported briefing was apparently held in a secure room in Silicon Valley in July 2023. The meeting is said to have been arranged at the request of the...
airpods pro 3 design

Higher-End AirPods Pro Launching This Year

Monday February 23, 2026 2:31 pm PST by
While the AirPods Pro 3 launched less than six months ago, it has been rumored that Apple plans to unveil new AirPods Pro this year. Instead of AirPods Pro 4, it has been rumored that the new AirPods Pro will be a higher-end version of the AirPods Pro 3. This would be similar to the regular AirPods 4, which are available in two versions, with and without active noise cancellation....

Top Rated Comments

76 months ago
And the combined weight of an SUV and a trailer is more than that of a pick up truck... But just like I can drive the SUV without the trailer, I can use the iPad without the keyboard...

So the use cases are still very much there for this combination. Take the keyboard when you need it...

How does the weight compare to a Surface with a keyboard?
Score: 33 Votes (Like | Disagree)
76 months ago

This is a perfect example of today's empty "news" business.

Modularity has always had a penalty in size. That's not even remotely news in a design perspective.

Further the point of the keyboard is to provide tablet users with a desktop option for those who might want it . Most likely at their desk, not on the go. That said, you might occasionally take it on the go, not regularly.

If you always or regularly need a keyboard on the go, well.....the concept of a laptop such as.....the MacBook Air exists.

No sugar Sherlock. Actual news please. Not click-chasing to nowhere...
This IS actual news. We're only learning about the weight of the keyboard today. The specs aren't listed on the Apple store either.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
76 months ago
Honestly I’m gutted they got rid of the 12” Macbook it was the ultimate portable work device for 90% of people. I bought the last fully upgraded model with mobile i7 processor, 16gb ram etc, honestly it is still hands down the best portable device for work when partnered with a larger screen iPhone. I also have a 2018 iPad Pro and a 2019 iPad Mini and I can tell you I reach for the 12” Macbook every single time if I have to get any work done on the move. The iPad pro performance just isn’t made good use of when combined with all the workflow shortcomings of iOS. An example; I’ve been doing some work editing huge 100mp+ image files in Affinity with multiple layers. On the 12” Macbook everything works great, no lag. On a iPad Pro it crashes often and it just can’t deal with the image files which are like 1gb or larger.

In iOS something as simple as wanting to crop an image file stored in Files is a headache. Markdown and Shortcuts no longer includes a crop interface so I have to either copy in to the Photos app, edit, save back to files, delete from Photos App, or I have to use a third party app which will first usually duplicate the file to it’s own file type for editing etc. On the 12” Macbook Preview does everything I need quickly and easily. There are countless examples of simple tasks that are still too cumbersome in iOS.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
phenste Avatar
76 months ago
Genuinely very happy about this. Anyone who uses a Smart Keyboard Folio knows that they are WAY too susceptible to falling backward because virtually all of the weight is in the iPad. Seems like the added heft on the bottom will balance that out and make this (typing on my 11” Pro, waiting on a Smart pre-order) feel much more genuinely like a laptop replacement.

Also, cannot WAIT for backlit keys

(one more thing: if people are worried about this weighing too much…just remember, Apple laptops weighed 7+ lbs once upon a time ;-)
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
76 months ago
well the iPad Pro

offers

better performance
better battery
better screen
better speakers



than the macbook air

if anything it is the macbook air that is overweight compared to the performance it offers and just lighter by a few grams compared to the macbook pro and ipad pro.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AppleTO Avatar
76 months ago
In Canada, the Magic Keyboard for the 12.9 inch costs $449, and the regular iPad costs $429. How does this even remotely make sense?
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)