CUPERTINO, California - Apple unveiled a new 9.7-inch iPad during its special event at the Apple Campus Town Hall in Cupertino - not an iPad Air 3, but a 9.7-inch iPad Pro.

Except for its 9.7-inch display with a resolution of 2,048 x 1,536 pixels, this smaller iPad Pro is similar in terms of specifications and design to the 12.9-inch iPad Pro.

But it comes with a new 12-megapixel rear camera and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera.

It is also the first iPad to use a True-Tone display that automatically adjusts the display colour temperature according to the ambient light conditions you are in.

Using the same unibody enclosure of anodised aluminium as its bigger cousin, the smaller iPad Pro features the same A9X processor, four-speaker ports and comes with the Smart Connector.

Its Smart Connector allows it to connect to a new Smart Keyboard Case ($228) specially designed for the new tablet, thereby eliminating the need for Bluetooth pairing or separate battery.

Its multi-touch display now also supports the Apple Pencil stylus ($148).

The 9.7-inch iPad Pro is available in the colours silver, space grey, gold and rose gold. The Singapore pricing for Wi-Fi only models will be $898 (32GB), $1,158 (128GB) and $1,418 (256GB). Wi-Fi+Cellular models will retail for $1,098 (32GB), $1,358 (128GB) and $1,618 (256GB).

You can pre-order the 9.7-inch iPad Pro on Thursday (March 24) and it will be available on March 31.