The iPad mini 7 demonstrates Apple’s semiconductor power in an unexpected way. This new compact tablet, launched last month, reveals an intelligent strategy on the part of the Cupertino giant which optimizes its production of Apple Silicon chips.
An A17 Pro chip intelligently recycled
Contrary to expectations which included the integration of the A18 chip, Apple opted for the A17 Pro in the iPad mini 7. This decision can be explained by a clever approach: the reuse of the A17 Pro chips which did not reach the standards required for the iPhone 15 Pro. These “binned” chips have 5 GPU cores instead of 6, but retain their 6 CPU cores and 8 GB of RAM.
You should know that the production of electronic chips is not linear or standardized, particularly those of Apple which use such modern technologies and manufacturing processes that we have not yet mastered them 100%. Thus, two chips, although identical on paper, do not necessarily have the same performance. This is why benchmarks are systematically different from one device to another.
Binning, common in the semiconductor industry, allows Apple to give a second life to components that would otherwise have been scrapped because they do not meet standards. In practice, Cupertino deactivates certain defective parts of the processor to make it smaller, slightly less powerful but just as functional. On the A17 Pro of the iPad mini, despite this reduction in the number of GPU cores, performance remains excellent for the majority of uses, especially on such a small device. Incidentally, this approach also makes it possible to reduce the thermal envelope of the processor which heats up less.
Performance that remains impressive
The iPad mini 7 offers notable improvements over its predecessor:
- A 30% increase in CPU performance
- A 25% gain in graphics performance
- Compatibility with Apple Intelligence thanks to 8 GB of RAM
These features make the iPad mini 7 one of the most powerful tablets on the market, positioning itself just behind the iPad Pro M4 and surpassing the M1/2 chips in single-core score. This success is all the more remarkable as the tablet retains its fairly competitive starting price.
This strategy demonstrates Apple’s ability to optimize its production chain and maximize the use of its high-end components. By reusing slightly less efficient but still very capable chips, Apple manages to offer a powerful device at a controlled price, while minimizing wasted resources. This approach demonstrates Apple’s maturity in managing its semiconductor production and its ability to innovate even in the management of its technological “waste”.
Note that Apple is adopting the same strategy on the M4 chips. The M4 SoC of the base iMac is slightly restricted, creating ranges within the processors even though they are named the same way. Although it’s sometimes difficult to navigate, it gives us a clue as to which products Apple considers a little less. In this case, it is the iMac which is paying the price this year.
