iPad Air 3: Everything we know so far on the upcoming iPad Pro like tablet from Apple

The March 2016 Apple event has brand loyalists all agog as the company is speculated to launch an Apple Watch or a 4in display iPhone 5se along with what tipsters are calling the best iPad ever – the iPad Air 3. The next iPad which promises to pack an array of exciting features will be crucial for the company as Apple's most recent earnings report revealed that iPad sales were down 25% year-on-year while iPad-based revenue was down 21% in the same context.

The upcoming speculated iPad is rumoured to be loosely based on the iPad Pro launched by the company in November 2015. IB Times UK takes a look at the most anticipated features of the iPad Air 3:

Screen and dimensions: iPad Air 3 is expected to get the same display technology that already exists in the iPad Pro in addition to a UV-based photo alignment technique for producing crisp colours in the display, according to DigiTimes, which claims that Taiwanese touch panel makers, General Interface Solution (GIS) and TPK, will be handling bulk of the production of the iPad Air 3.

As for dimensions, Engdaget reported that the upcoming tablet from Apple will be 0.05 mm thicker and 0.1 mm wider than its predecessor iPad Air 2. In pictures leaked online, an extra hole below the camera was also spotted which suggests the iPad may be getting an LED flash too.

Sound:The iPad Pro quad speakers are likely to be repeated for the iPad Air 3 as well where audio will be resonated through four speakers for better audio boost.

Smart connector: This is slated to be one of the most exciting features of the device. A similar port which was introduced for the iPad Pro is used to connect with accessories. As far as accessories, go speculation has surfaced about an Apple keyboard for the iPad or an Apple Pencil to support the smart connector.

3D Touch dicey: According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities, "production issues" will prevent Apple from adding 3D Touch to the iPad display, a reason why the company perhaps did not put 3D Touch in the iPad Pro, either. But counter claims have also surfaced on 3D Touch becoming a signature move for Apple in the future in lieu of which it should be on the iPad Air 3.

Other than these, the iPad may also be composed of an A9x processor and a RAM capacity of 4GB. The battery life on Apple's next-gen tablet is also said to get a bump up.