In September, Apple announced the new A15 processor in a peculiar way: by comparing its new chip to the Android competition, rather than the A14 that powered last year's generation of iPhones. We were all left to try to infer the speed of the A15 (fave.co/3D127xU) based on Apple's claims, wondering if the company was obscuring the performance improvements in the A15 because they weren't particularly impressive.
Recently things have gotten a lot clearer with the first reviews of the iPhone 13 (fave.co/3uBYnwt) and iPhone 13 Pro (fave.co/3FjwcHm), as well as a look at what the iPad mini (fave.co/3mg|V4U) has to offer. Now we've got the cold, hard facts about the A15—and it's more complicated and interesting than I guessed last week. The net result? Apple is making one chip but using it in three different ways, and while some aspects of the A15 upgrade aren't particularly exciting, others are quite impressive. Systems on chips made at a scale of 5 nanometers are complicated. Who knew?
THE A15 IS A PRODUCT LINE
It turns out that while the iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro, and iPad mini are all powered by the A15, each of them is using the A15 in a different way. The A15s in all four iPhone 13 and 13 Pro models are running at 3.23GHz, but the A15 in the iPad mini is underclocked to 2.93GHz. The A15s in the iPhone 13 Pro and iPad mini have five graphics cores, but the A15 in the iPhone 13 has only four.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Mac 911
Solutions to your most vexing Mac problems.
Bowers & Wilkins Pi8: Great-sounding headphones that support aptX
B&W's new top-of-the-range Bluetooth earbuds sound great and include an innovative smart case that supports aptX technology for high-quality audio-even on Apple devices.
AirPods versus AirPods Pro: How they compare
Don't know whether to buy the AirPods 4, AirPods 4 with ANC, or AirPods Pro 2? Here's how they stack up.
Apple's true hit of 2024 isn't the iPhone 16
Apple's unsung hero of the fall is the AirPods 4.
Ugreen Revodok Pro 210: Decent speeds at a nice price
A hub for users who don't need top performance from their connections.
Anker Prime 100W GaN Wall Charger: Clever and compact
Anker proves that with a clever design, you can also achieve compact dimensions suitable for traveling.
Wombat Willow: A solid typing tool with some quirks
This isn't a keyboard that lets you simply plug in and go-you need to read the manual.
pdfFiller: An overpriced, half-baked PDF editor for macOS
A basic PDF editor that doesn't fulfill its promises and costs too much.
iPHONE 16 & 16 PLUS REVIEW: THE PHONE FOR EVERYONE CREEPS INTO PRO TERRITORY
APPLE'S BEST ALL-AROUND PHONE IS BETTER AND ALL-AROUNDER.
APPLE WATCH SERIES 10 REVIEW: MODEST IMPROVEMENTS TO A PROVEN FORMULA
IF YOU'VE BEEN WAITING FOR A BIG APPLE WATCH REVAMP, THIS ISN'T IT, BUT IT'S STILL THE BEST SMARTWATCH AROUND.
