Last fall, when Apple introduced the iPad mini 4, many people became curious as to why the larger iPad wasn’t updated to the iPad Air 3. The latest rumors are pointing the possibility that the iPad Air 3 name may never see the light of day as Apple may rebrand the iPad Air 3 as a 9.7″ version of the iPad Pro.

Rumors have suggested that the new iPad will gain an A9X processor to bring the tablet up to speed, coming from the A8X processor currently offered. The smaller iPad Pro should also offer more memory than the current generation. The audio in the 9.7″ iPad should be receiving an upgrade as well, as the quad-stereo speaker system in the larger iPad Pro are rumored to be making an appearance in the new tablet.

The 9.7″ iPad will gain Apple Pencil support and Apple is rumored to be launching a smaller version of the keyboard case that is offered for the 12.9″ iPad Pro.

The new iPad Pro could launch as soon as March 18, a few days after the Apple media event that is rumored to introduce the iPhone 5SE and new Apple Watch bands, as well as new software for both iOS and Mac.

While many of the features offered are appealing, I think I’m going to stick with my iPad mini for now. Which iPad model do you prefer? Will you be upgrading to either of the iPad Pro models?