With the emergence of Microsoft's Surface Pro 4, Apple is expected to bring their next game through the iPad Air 3.

The new iPad Air is expected to launch this year, but unfortunately, the release appears to be postponed, with rumors citing arrival early next year.

As speculators would suggest, the iPad Air 3 gives way to the release of the iPad Pro and iPad Mini 4. According to The Christian Post, the upcoming device might be revealed in March, since this was the same month that Apple announced the news about the MacBook Retina.

However, it could also be slated to launch later this year. Christian Today reported. As told by the outlet, this will be a good chance for the lavish brand to pair the new tablet with the professional-level iPad Pro. There seems to be a higher possibility of marketing the new unit to casual tablet users.

IT Pro noted rumors, which claim that the iPad Air 3 will be thinner than its predecessor. Users would know that the iPad Air 2 owns a depth of 6.1 mm.

Meanwhile, the Microsoft Surface Pro 4 goes with 8.45 mm on the tablet alone, and 13.2 mm thick with keyboard or 13.4 mm thick with standard SP4 Type Cover, Gizmag wrote.

The much-awaited iPad Air 3 is also said to be built with 3112 X 2334 pixel display and a 9.7-inch screen (401 PPI), which the iPhone 6s Plus also sports, the Venture Capital Post added. The new Surface Pro, on the other hand, has a 12.3-inch Pixel Sense display and 2736 x 1824 resolution with 267 PPI.

Under its hood, the new iPad Air is believed to be powered by either an A9 or A9X chipset and will pack either 2 or 4 GB of RAM. As told by Microsoft, the Surface Pro 4 integrates Intel graphics with 6th Gen Intel® Core^TM m3, i5, or i7 that can be added with a discrete Nvidia GeForce graphics card by choice.

The cheapest model of the Surface Pro 4 has 4 GB of RAM, but this can be doubled to 8 GB and quadrupled to 16 GB.

Meanwhile, the Christian Post added that the iPad Air 3 allegedly sports an 8 MP rear camera and a 2.1 MP front snapper.

The Microsoft Surface Pro 4 also has the same 8 MP rear camera, but with 1080p HD and a much higher 5 MP front-facing HD cam. Alphr wrote that the new iPad Air 3 might have less battery capacity, while Microsoft's flagship device can go up to nine hours of video playback, according to its official website.

The price of the new iPad Air 3 is rumored to start with £399 or $617.23, while Microsoft Pro 4 can be pre-ordered with a starting price of $999, Surface Pen included. Prices may vary depending on the storage.