The iPad Pro’s A12Z Chip Found To Be Almost Identical To The A12X

Apple’s iPads typically feature an “X” version of the chipset used in its iPhones. This was true of the 2018 iPad Pro which used the A12X chipset, a variant of the A12 found on the iPhone XS series. This is why it was surprising that for the 2020 iPad Pro, Apple opted to use the A12Z instead of what was presumed to be the A13X.

Now according to a report from TechInsights (subscription required), it seems that the A12Z is identical to the A12X, save for an extra GPU core enabled. It was previously speculated that due to the marginal difference in performance between the chipsets, that the A12Z could simply be a rebranded A12X.

TechInsights have since confirmed that to be true thanks to a floorplan analysis that found both chipsets to be identical, except like we said, the A12Z has an extra GPU core enabled. This, in theory, should make the A12Z slightly more powerful in graphics performance. Before we get up in arms about how Apple is trying to cheat customers by releasing incremental updates, MacRumors has pointed out that it is not unusual for chip makers to disable a couple of cores due to it not meeting yield levels. We can’t say for sure that this is the reason why Apple opted to use the A12Z, so take it with a grain of salt.

See more

Our analysis confirms #Apple #A12Z GPU chip found inside #iPadPro (model A2068) is the same as A12X predecessor. A report of our findings is underway & will be available as part of TechInsights' #Logic Subscription. Learn more here https://t.co/WWQqlPorNF pic.twitter.com/RsQEADpZsc

— TechInsights (@techinsightsinc) April 13, 2020

That being said, there have been rumors that claim that a high-end iPad Pro could launch later this year, so if you don’t absolutely have to have an iPad Pro now, it might be worth holding out if you’re after (potentially) higher performance gains.

Tyler Lee
Categories: Apple, Tablets
Tags: iPad, iPad Pro, SoC, Social Hit