The side of my ipad pro gets warm. Is this normal?

I recently got an iPad Pro 12.9 inch (4th Gen) and so far it seems to be working fine. However, the left side of my iPad (if you hold the iPad in portrait view) seems to get very warm in a large section. I’m not sure why it does this or if it is damaging to the iPad or battery, but it does this every time I use it. What does this mean and should I get this issue looked at? Thank you.

iPad Pro 12.9-inch Wi-Fi

Posted on Mar 3, 2021 6:41 PM

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Posted on Mar 3, 2021 7:06 PM

This is not normal as the logic board and the CPU are all near the center of the iPad, if the iPad is warm, then the heat should come from there. That area that is heating on your iPad is mainly the speakers, connectors and WiFi antennas, which shouldn’t really heat up.


If you really don’t misuse your iPad, probably call Apple Support to see what they can do for you.

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Mar 3, 2021 7:06 PM in response to drdzem

This is not normal as the logic board and the CPU are all near the center of the iPad, if the iPad is warm, then the heat should come from there. That area that is heating on your iPad is mainly the speakers, connectors and WiFi antennas, which shouldn’t really heat up.


If you really don’t misuse your iPad, probably call Apple Support to see what they can do for you.

Mar 11, 2021 7:25 PM in response to drdzem

So I rechecked my sources and found out that the region that you are describing is actually the display controllers. Since the iPad Pros have one of the best displays in any portable device, the displays draw a lot of power. It is one of the major reasons that despite having a 7800 mAh and a near-10000 mAh battery (for the 11” and the 12.9” respectively), the iPad Pros can only run for 10 hours.


This region also heats up on my iPad when I use it, especially when I watch higher quality videos (1080p or even 4K) at max brightness. So in my opinion, there is no problem with the iPad.

Mar 3, 2021 7:12 PM in response to superstanley31

Screen edge backlights are all around the perimeter of the iPad's screen, also.

Also, the iPad batteries are on either side of the iPad's centrally located logic board.

The batteries could be heating up some.


It maybe a simple thing like turning the screen brightness down to reduce the heat.

We need to know what the iPad is being used for to determine the cause of thr heat.

Mar 3, 2021 8:12 PM in response to drdzem

Thank you for your responses. So far all I’ve used the iPad for is

taking pictures, watching movies on streaming apps, and drawing in the

procreate app I downloaded. I haven’t used it much for anything else

besides those three things mainly because I wasn’t sure why it was

heating up. I’m not sure if I clearly described where the iPad gets

warm. If you hold the iPad upright with the charging port at the bottom

and the camera at the top, the left side of the device always feels

significantly warmer than the right. So only the left side of the

device is warm. This usually happens about two to three minutes after I

start using one of the apps and sometimes after just turning the iPad

on and leaving the screen on for a while. It usually cools down quickly

after turning it off. I just wanted to clarify so hopefully you all

can help me as much as possible. I really appreciate the responses and

the advice.

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The side of my ipad pro gets warm. Is this normal?

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