The new generation of iPad mini, unveiled Tuesday by Apple, has a surprise under its hood. Although powered by the A17 Pro chip, like the iPhone 15 Pro released last year, it seems that the tablet actually has a slightly less efficient version of the famous processor.
A discounted A17 Pro chip for the iPad mini 7?
If we are to believe the technical specifications of the iPad mini 7, the A17 Pro chip that powers it consists of a 6-core CPU, like on the iPhone 15 Pro, but a GPU with only 5 cores, compared to 6 for Apple’s premium smartphone. A subtle but very real difference, the result of a common practice at the Cupertino giant: “binning” of chips.
Binning, or the art of optimizing imperfect chips
Binning involves sorting produced chips based on their actual performance. Rather than throwing away copies that do not reach the optimal level on all their cores, founders prefer to deactivate some to recycle these chips in less demanding configurations. A clever way to avoid waste and maximize the efficiency of production lines.
Interesting, this is a binned A17 Pro with a 5-core GPU. The full A17 Pro in the iPhone 15 Pro has a 6-core GPU. pic.twitter.com/Z6OtJ2ceXV
— Tech God (@tgod34748) October 15, 2024
Everything suggests that Apple took advantage of a stock of A17 Pro chips resulting from this “binning” process to equip its iPad mini 7, following the cessation of production of the iPhone 15 Pro in September. The impact on performance should, however, remain minimal for most uses, with the GPU only losing one core in six.
The iPad mini 7 designed for Apple Intelligence
In addition to this A17 Pro chip, certainly limited but still fast, coupled with 8 GB of RAM, the iPad mini 7 will have the advantage of being designed to exploit the new artificial intelligence features planned in iPadOS 18.1 at the end of the month in the United States. -United. Enough to promise an ever richer and more fluid user experience.
Despite these small adjustments under the hood, the iPad mini 7 has serious arguments to make and constitutes an interesting choice for those looking for a compact and efficient tablet, especially since there is no equivalent on the market. Pre-orders are already open on the Apple Store, and bargain hunters can also find what they’re looking for among previous generations of iPads currently on sale at third-party resellers.
