Will Your iPad Air 2 Cases Fit the New 9.7-inch iPad Pro?

In an article over at MacWorld, it has been discussed that since the new 9.7-inch iPad Pro and the iPad Air 2 feature the same dimensions i.e. 9.4 x 6.6 x 0.24 inches, will the existing iPad Air 2 cases work with the new iPad Pro? Well the answer is, “it depends”. While an iPad Air 2 case may perfectly fit the new tablet, how functional the 9.7-inch iPad Pro is in the case is the real issue.

For starters, there are four speakers on the 9.7-inch iPad Pro, as opposed to two on the iPad Air 2. This means that almost all iPad Air 2 cases will block the speakers at the top of the 9.7-inch iPad Pro. Secondly, the iPad Air 2 doesn’t have a True Tone Flash underneath the iSight camera, which means an iPad Air 2 case will also block the flash on the 9.7-inch iPad Pro. Lastly, an iPad Air 2 case would block the iPad Pro’s Smart Connector, which would prevent you from using an encased iPad Pro with a keyboard.  

“Apple confirmed that the magnet alignment is different with the Smart Connector on the 9.7-inch iPad Pro, so using the iPad Air Smart Cover on a 9.7-inch iPad Pro is not recommended. With this in mind, it’s not much of a stretch to conclude that any magnetic cover that was designed for the iPad Air should not be used with the 9.7-inch iPad Pro”.

So there you have it. Even with virtually identical dimensions, majority of existing iPad Air 2 cases will be incompatible with the 9.7-inch iPad Pro.