The new iPad Mini, despite being equipped with the A17 Pro chip first introduced in iPhone 15 Pro models, has a major drawback. It comes with a trimmed-down version of the processor.
As you know, Apple recently introduced the 2024 iPad Mini model equipped with artificial intelligence features. This was quite a surprise since the device wasn’t expected to be announced until November 1. So what does the new iPad Mini offer in terms of processing power and memory capacity? Now, some interesting details about the A17 Pro chip used in the device have been shared.
According to recent reports, the A17 Pro chip, originally produced for the iPhone 15 Pro models and now used in the new iPad Mini, is essentially the same. However, a small percentage of the chips produced have defective GPU cores, and Apple has deactivated these cores. So, these chips have been repurposed for the iPad Mini. It’s also worth mentioning that iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max models are no longer in production.
According to Apple’s technical specifications, the A17 Pro chip in the iPad Mini 7 has a 5-core GPU, while the chip in the iPhone 15 Pro models has a 6-core GPU. This means the iPad Mini will have slightly lower graphics performancecompared to the iPhone 15 Pro models.
Previously, Apple claimed that the A17 Pro chip in the new iPad Mini offers up to 30% faster CPU performance and 25% faster GPU performance compared to the A15 Bionic chip in the previous model. The real-world benchmark results of the new iPad Mini are yet to be seen, but we know Apple typically provides accurate estimates.
Additionally, since the new iPad Mini supports Apple Intelligence, it's likely to have 8 GB of RAM, whereas the previous version was limited to 4 GB. However, we’ll need to wait until October 23 to confirm all these details. For those who missed it, Apple is offering the iPad Mini 7 in blue, purple, starlight, and space gray.
