TO: OP - I had a 1st gen iPad Air, just like you do. Against all conventional wisdom, I upgraded a couple of weeks ago to the iPad Pro 9.7. I am not an artist and I have not bought the pencil. I may get it one of these days, but I'm in no hurry. So, my uses sound similar to yours.
However, I really enjoy my Pro and yes, I am really very glad I upgraded. Did I need to?? No. There was nothing wrong with my iPad Air. It was plenty fast and very reliable. But I think there is a case to be made for the Pro, even if you're not an artist. I like the smart connector feature. I did spring for the Apple keyboard and I love not having to worry about bluetooth connectivity and charging. I do a lot of writing/typing and I really feel like bluetooth for keyboards is on its way out. I didn't realize how tedious the bluetooth connection requirement had become until I got rid of it. I like that the camera is now the same as the iPhone 6s. I don't often take photos with my tablet, but there have been times when I needed to take screenshots of power points at conferences, for example. And I can see a situation where I might need to get a picture of a group Of friends. LIke the saying goes, the best camera is the one you have with you. Even if the best camera isn't needed, it is certainly appreciated. I love the display, especially with the nighttime adjustment and the true tone options. Movies just look stunning on the Pro. The 1st gen iPad Air doesn't have fingerprint recognition, but the Pro does. I really love not having to type a password to access my device, or to buy things from the Apple Store. There are other shopping apps that are starting to add fingerprint support, too. I got the 128gb tablet and I am hoping this will provide sufficient future proofing insurance. My iPad Air had a 64gb capacity. The Pro is significantly faster. My iPad Air wasn't slow, but the Pro just flies. This comes in handy when you have multiple tabs open, multiple apps open, etc. Also not to be forgotten are the speakers. The Pro has 4 speakers, not 2. This makes a significant difference. It is so much more enjoyable to watch movies, listen to music, etc., without always having to stop to find a pair of headphones or a portable speaker. I definitely needed one or the other with the Air, which sounds like it whispers, in comparison to the Pro. Now, to be fair, the speakers don't produce the highest fidelity sound, not by a long shot. But they are much louder and, at the end of the day, that is great. If I want great fidelity, I can always find headphones or a speaker.
Anyway, this is a very long way of saying that "love" isn't always logical. And I love my iPad Pro 9.7! The conventional wisdom is that an Air owner doesn't need a Pro unless he or she is an artist. I disagree. Once I bought my Pro, I started using it immediately. I have so enjoyed it. And I gave significant thought to returning the Pro over the last two weeks. But after the Pro, there is no way I would go back to the iPad Air. I'm using an awesome tool. No way am I going back to what is only "sufficient."