Apple iPad Air 3: What’s the story so far?

Apple offers three iPad ranges comprising the Mini, Air, and Pro, with five iPads available in total – the iPad Mini 2, iPad Mini 4, iPad Air, iPad Air 2, and iPad Pro. The iPad Air 2, which was unveiled in late 2014 alongside the iPad Mini 3, is well overdue for an update. Apple typically updates its devices annually, but for whatever reason, no new iPad Air was launched in 2015.

Although the iPad Air 2 is the same height and screen size as its predecessor, the iPad Air, it’s thinner and faster and features Touch ID. It is thought the new 9.7-inch iPad, which we are calling the iPad Air 3 for the sake of this feature, will be faster than its predecessor when it launches, but that’s just speculation for now and there is plenty more where that came from.

This is Pocket-lint’s guide to the rumours surrounding the iPad Air 3, or smaller iPad Pro as it is also being called. We have laid out all the latest gossip, hints and leaks about the next 9.7-inch iPad so you can see what might be coming in one place. Keep checking back for more information as we will be updating this feature as more leaks and rumours appear.

Apple iPad Air 3: Release date

Chinese technology site MyDrivers claims Apple is looking to release the next 9.7-inch iPad tablet around March 2016. This has since been supported by 9to5Mac, who says sources claim an event will be taking place on Tuesday 15 March. This site also claims the device will be branded under the iPad Pro name, rather than the iPad Air family.

March events are becoming a pattern for Apple so it isn’t a completely unreasonable suggestion that the iPad Air 3, or a smaller iPad Pro will appear within this first quarter. The company is also rumoured to be prepping the Apple Watch 2 and the Apple iPhone 5SE for the same timeframe, so with all that in mind, we could very well see the new 9.7-inch iPad debut alongside a new watch this spring.

If the iPad Air 3, or smaller iPad Pro does debut alongside the iPhone 5SE, 9to5Mac has claimed they will be put for sale online and in retail stores by 18 March – just three days later. With such a short window before launch, Apple will probably skip offering pre-orders for the new devices altogether, which is something very atypical.

Apple usually releases new iPhone models about two weeks after they’ve been unveiled and given an online pre-order period, though the iPad Pro took a whopping two months before it released. 9to5Mac said manufacturing of the new iPhone was ramped up in January. If that’s true, Apple likely has a healthy enough stock to begin selling the handset straightaway.

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Apple iPad Air 3: Design

Alleged design sketches give a purported first look at what the upcoming tablet might look like and feature. According to the drawings, the iPad Air 3 could sport a four-speaker design (at the top and bottom edges), as found in the iPad Pro for boosted stereo sound, making the idea of the new iPad falling in the iPad Pro line more feasible. The new tablet is also said to be coming with a rear LED flash, making it the first iPad to include flash capabilities. 

These two features may require a slight redesign of the iPad Air’s body, but it will likely continue to be ultra thin. If the iPad Air 3 gets a rear-camera flash, this could mean it will also come with camera improvements, such as an updated 12-megapixel camera found on the iPhone 6S, which would be an upgrade over the iPad Air 2’s 8-megapixel camera.

Supporting the claims of a rear camera flash and four-speaker design is a leaked third-party case, found by Macotakara and republished by Apple Insider. The apparent iPad Air 3 case also indicates the Smart Connector found on the iPad Pro will be coming to the new 9.7-inch model. It has also been suggested the new 9.7-inch device will be compatible with Apple Pencil, which if true, is another good reason for the iPad Air 3 coming in under the iPad Pro name instead.

Further design sketches released by Engadget – from a “reliable source” – also support the quad speakers, flash and Smart Connector, so there is certainly increasing gravitas about the existence of those features. The Engadget drawings also sport measurements and, if true, suggest that the iPad Air 3 will actually be fractionally thicker than its predecessor, by 0.05mm, and slightly wider, by 0.1mm.

In terms of colours, 9to5Mac has said there are rumours to suggest the iPad Air 3 might be coming in the same colour options as the iPhone 6S. If this is the case, we can expect silver, space grey and gold like the iPad Air 2, but also perhaps a rose gold model.

Of course, the design sketches have not been officially confirmed and third-party cases certainly aren’t gospel, so take everything you see here with a grain of salt for now.

Engadget

Apple iPad Air 3: Specs

Despite the lack of rumours surrounding the iPad Air 3, it is possible to predict a number of possible specs based on what Apple has done in the past.

The iPad Air 3 will certainly feature a newer, faster processor than its predecessor. The iPad Air 2 has an A8X chip, and the iPad Pro has the A9X, so we’d expect the A9X or possibly even an A10 chip. Bloomberg is reporting that the iPad Air 3 will come with Apple’s A9X processor, along with support for the Apple Pencil an Smart Connector for keyboards and other peripherals. Supporting this is 9to5Mac who suggests Apple is working on a 9.7-inch panel that will work with Apple Pencil, which also explains the theory of a smaller iPad Pro rather than an iPad Air 3.

Chances are the RAM will also increase for the new model too. The iPad Air 2 has 2GB of RAM and the iPad Pro comes with 4GB. It is rumoured the new 9.7-inch iPad will come with the same processor and RAM as the iPad Pro, meaning the A9X and 4GB.

In terms of display, it’s more than likely you will see the same 9.7-inch size make another appearance along with Touch ID. Rumored specs from site MyDrivers suggested a resolution of 2334 x 3112, which would make it Ultra HD. The iPad Air 2 has a 1536 x 2048 screen resolution so if the rumours are true, you can expect a sharper images on the new model.

Apple is also said to be working on the next-generation of pressure-sensing display technology that will work on screen sizes as large as the iPad Pro, according to AppleInsider, but it might not be ready for the iPad Air 3.

Apple iPad Air 3: Software

If the tablet arrives in March, it will likely run iOS 9. If it comes later in the year, expect it to launch with iOS 10. Apple’s iOS 9 introduced improvements to Siri and Apple Maps, multitasking for iPads, a new keyboard, and more so the iPad Air 3 should get all that at least.

It has also been said that Apple is also testing a new version of iOS that incorporates a Classroom application. Apparently a preview of the software will come with the upcoming iOS 9.3 update.

Want to know more?

Check out Pocket-lint’s Apple and Apple iPad Air 3 hubs for all the latest news.