iPad Pro 12.9″ 1st Gen (2015) Repair

The original 12.9-inch iPad Pro from 2015 was the machine that invented the category. Nothing that size existed before it, and it introduced the Apple Pencil and the Smart Connector at the same time. A decade on, the repair questions it raises are different from those of any newer model, and they deserve an honest answer rather than a sales pitch.

How much does an iPad Pro 12.9-inch (1st gen, 2015) repair cost?

Our fixed prices at iExpert Repairs are:

• Screen replacement – £175
• Battery replacement – £75
• Charging port repair – £75
• Diagnostic service – £15

Each includes the part, the labour and a 12 month guarantee. The £15 diagnostic applies only to faults outside this list and includes a fixed quote before any work begins.

Should you repair a decade-old iPad at all?

This is the question that matters most here and we would rather answer it plainly. A £75 battery on an original 12.9-inch Pro that still does what you need is reasonable – these remain perfectly good for reading, streaming, sheet music, drawing and as a large second screen, and a fresh cell can add years of that.

A £175 screen is a genuinely different decision. That is real money against a device of modest resale value, and whether it makes sense depends entirely on what you use it for. If it is mounted permanently as a studio display, a kitchen recipe screen or a music stand, £175 to keep a working setup intact can be perfectly sensible. If it lives in a drawer, it is not. We will give you our honest view rather than simply taking the booking.

What still works well on this iPad, and what does not

Being straight about the limits helps the decision. The hardware is still comfortable with video, web browsing, documents, PDFs and the first generation Apple Pencil. What it will not do is run the newest software features, and app developers have gradually stopped supporting devices of this age, so some applications will no longer update.

That is not a fault and no repair changes it. If your use is settled – a particular app, a particular purpose – that limitation may never affect you. If you need current software, a repair on this generation is money spent on the wrong problem, and we would rather say so.

Apple Pencil 1 and the Lightning port

This generation uses the first Apple Pencil, which charges by plugging directly into the iPad’s Lightning socket – an arrangement that looks alarming and works fine, though it is easy to knock. It does not support the Apple Pencil 2, which attaches magnetically to newer models. If your Pencil will not stick to the side, nothing is broken; it was never designed to.

The Lightning socket does double duty here, taking both the charging cable and the Pencil, which means more insertions over its life than on most iPads. Even so, change the cable before assuming the port has failed – Lightning cables fail internally at the strain relief far more often than the ports do, and after a decade most original cables are well past it.

Battery replacement at £75

After this many years, batteries are overwhelmingly the most common reason these arrive with us, and a cell that has been cycled for a decade will hold a fraction of what it once did. The cell is physically large and bonded across a wide area, so it has to be eased out slowly rather than levered – force on a chassis this size risks creasing the panel.

Confirm the battery is the problem first. A worn cell manages light reading and then drops sharply under any real load. If the iPad is instead simply slow, that is age and software rather than the battery, and a new cell will not change it.

The Smart Connector, and a free thing to check

This was the first iPad with a Smart Connector – three small contacts on the edge that power and communicate with a keyboard. If your keyboard has stopped being recognised, clean those contacts before assuming a fault. A decade of pocket lint, grease and dust across them is a very common cause and costs nothing to resolve.

Is it water resistant?

No. No iPad Apple has ever made carries an IP rating, and there are no seals inside this one. If liquid gets in, switch it off and do not connect a charger – running power through a wet board is the most common way a recoverable device becomes a dead one. Our iPad water damage repair service covers this, and where a board cannot be saved we can often still attempt data recovery.

What if it is not worth repairing?

Then we say so. On a device this old, several faults at once takes you well past the point where the arithmetic works, and there is no version of that conversation where we quote for all of them and hope you do not notice. What often matters more than the iPad is what is on it – drawings, notes and photographs never backed up can frequently be recovered even from a machine that will never be used again. Ask us about data recovery before writing it off.

How long does an original 12.9-inch iPad Pro repair take?

Battery and charging work is usually same-day once the device is with us. Screen replacement on a panel this size is deliberately unhurried, since a large bonded assembly is easy to stress during fitting. We confirm timing with the fixed quote and start only when you approve it.

Where can I get an original 12.9-inch iPad Pro repaired?

iExpert Repairs handles first generation 12.9-inch iPad Pro repairs from our Essex workshop and accepts devices from across the UK by tracked, insured post. contact us to arrange it or to get an honest view on whether it is worth doing.

We cover iPad screen repair, iPad battery replacement, iPad charging port repair and iPad water damage repair on every iPad generation, and handle other brands under tablet repair. Our iPad repair page lists every model we support.