According to early reports online, Apple’s iPad Pro 2018 will have an octa-core A11X Bionic processor. This is an upgrade from the current six-core A11 Bionic that powers the iPhone X.
The new chip is manufactured by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) using 7nm production; a first for Apple. The production of the chip is well underway, with TSMC already shipping the chips to Apple for production of the new 2018 iPad Pro.
With eight cores, the A11X will be Apple’s fastest System on a Chip (SoC) yet. At the same time, it will also be physically smaller the current A11 Bionic chips, being used on the iPhone X and 8/8 Plus. What sets this chip apart from other SoCs in the market is the core composition. It will have three high-performance “Monsoon” cores and five energy-efficient “Mistral” cores, rather than an equal split down the middle.
The iPad Pro 2018 is shaping to be a productivity powerhouse. With the rumoured thin bezels and FaceID technology coming to the tablet, Apple is shaping it to be a device that will cater to power-users. With the A11 Bionic chip on par with the A10X, the A11X is set to be a trail blazer in mobile performance when it comes out sometime early next year.
