Apple will launch its next-generation A9 chip inside the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus on Friday, but inside the secret walls of Cupertino, the company is already hard at work on the A10. According to one rumor, that new chip will be even better, with six CPU cores.
The new A9 chip is a huge improvement over last year’s A8, with up to 70 percent greater CPU performance, and up to 90 percent better graphics. But it remains a dual-core chip, while rival processors from the likes of Qualcomm and Samsung are now using up to eight CPU cores.
This doesn’t necessarily mean those chips are faster in real-world usage, because software also plays a big part in speed, and iOS is incredibly efficient. But future iPhones and iPods could see vast improvements with additional cores, and one rumor claims Apple is looking at that now.
One tipster, posting on Chinese microblogging network Weibo, claims Apple’s next-generation A10 chip, which will likely debut inside the iPhone 7 and next year’s iPad lineup, will have six CPU cores and multi-threading functionality.
The A10 will reportedly be manufactured by Samsung and TSMC — not just TSMC as some rumors have claimed — using a 14-nanometer process. It’s still unclear whether the new A9 uses a 14-nanometer or a 16-nanometer manufacturing process.
This all sounds very exciting, and we hate to burst the bubble, but it seems incredibly unlikely Apple would make such a leap in one year. If it can make incredibly fast devices using dual-core processors, why would it skip quad-core options for more expensive six-core models?
With that in mind, we suggest taking this particular rumor with a grain of salt for now. The A10 is still a long way off, and while Apple may indeed be exploring six-core CPUs, that doesn’t mean it will use one next year.
[via G for Games]
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