Apple's next iPad to be a 9.7-inch variant of the Apple iPad Pro

A couple of weeks ago, we jokingly called the Apple iPad Air 3 the Apple iPad Pro mini. That's because the new tablet is expected to have specs similar to the Apple iPad Pro, but with a smaller footprint. But a report that was published today says that the next 9.7-inch iPad will be merely another variation of the iPad Pro. That means that Apple will have a 12.9-inch version of its top-of-the line tablet, and a 9.7-inch variant.

Whether by coincidence or design, the 9.7-inch iPad Pro is expected to be unveiled at the same March 15th event that will see Apple make official the 4-inch Apple iPhone 5se. And while the iPhone 5se and the Apple iPhone 6s are believed to share many of the same specs, the same is expected to be true for the two iPad Pro variants. Both will be powered by the Apple A9X SoC, carry quad-speakers, and contain 4GB of RAM.

In addition, the 9.7-inch iPad Pro will also support the Apple Pencil like its big brother does. And using the magnet-based Smart Connector, Apple will offer a smaller version of the Smart Keyboard for the newer tablet. The 9.7-inch iPad Pro will be available in the same color options as the larger model (Silver, Gold and Space Gray). It also will be available in Wi-Fi (32GB and 128GB) and Wi-Fi+ Cellular (128GB) just like the 12.9-inch iPad Pro.

The pricing of the new iPad is said to be closer to what an iPad Air 3 would have cost, as opposed to being priced in the $799-$1079 range of the larger iPad Pro.


source: 9to5Mac