Alas, as with all things in life, there is a slight trade-off with these extra goodies. If the dimensions listed here are to be trusted, then it appears that the iPad Air 3 will be 0.05 mm thicker and 0.1 mm wider than its predecessor. If you recall, there were similar marginal differences between the iPhone 6s models and their iPhone 6 counterparts. Existing soft cases for the iPad Air 2 will probably fit the new tablet just fine, but hard cases may scratch the body over time -- as is the result of forcing some iPhone 6 cases onto the iPhone 6s. Besides, it's not like you'll want to cover up the LED flash nor the two extra speakers, anyway (nor the Smart Connector, if you're picking up a smaller Smart Keyboard for this new iPad).

We tried squeezing more info out of our contact but that's all we got for now, so stay tuned for an update or hold out for the supposed launch in mid-March.