The last time that Apple (AAPL -2.41%) updated its iPad Pro lineup was in June of 2017 with the introduction of a new 10.5-inch model and an upgraded version of its 12.9-inch model. At the heart of these devices was a chip called the A10X -- an enhanced version of the A10 chip that debuted in the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus smartphones in September of 2016.
Later this year, Apple is expected to introduce updated versions of its iPad Pro lineup. These devices are expected to be redesigned to look more like the latest iPhone XR/XS/XS Max devices (in other words, substantially reduced bezels and support for Face ID facial recognition technology) and should also enjoy significant technology upgrades.
Image source: Apple.
One of those upgrades should be a brand-new chip. Here's what I expect from that chip.
1. A12-derived
Several months ago, a user by the name of "Longhorn" (via MyDrivers) tweeted out the internal names for what we now know to be called the A12 Bionic (T8020) as well as its more powerful counterpart which will likely be marketed as the A12X Bionic (T8027).
It makes sense that the next iPad Pro would incorporate a chip that's based on the A12 chip that powers Apple's recently-announced iPhone XS/XS Max/XR smartphones -- a chip based on a year-old A11 Bionic chip simply wouldn't make sense.
From a marketing perspective, it'd be problematic for Apple to go on stage and introduce a brand-new, redesigned iPad powered by a chip that seems like it's based on last year's technology.
Beyond the marketing aspect, an A12-derived iPad Pro chip would simply be a better product. It'd have a more advanced graphics processor, faster CPU cores, and a substantially better Neural Engine than a hypothetical A11-derived one.
2. Expected upgrades
Apple's iPad-specific A-series chips (denoted with an 'X' suffix) are higher-performance versions of the iPhone-oriented A-series chips with the same number (e.g. A10X was a bigger, faster version of the A10). Apple has always incorporated more graphics cores in the iPad-specific versions of its chips and it has often incorporated more CPU cores in them, too. The reason I say "often" is that the A6 and A6X as well as the A9 and A9X had the same number of CPU cores but those cores ran at higher frequencies (meaning more speed) in the 'X' variants.
I don't expect Apple to deviate from its historical playbook here. Expect more CPU performance relative to the A12 Bionic as well as a big jump in the number of graphics cores (and, ultimately, performance) in the A12X Bionic relative to its iPhone-oriented counterpart.
Beyond the CPU and GPU upgrades, Apple tends to endow its iPad-specific chips with access to more memory bandwidth. Graphics processors tend to be very memory bandwidth sensitive, so it's only natural that Apple would endow a chip with a much more powerful graphics processor with access to more memory bandwidth.
3. Manufactured by...
It's widely believed that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSM 0.60%) is manufacturing the A12 Bionic chip using its latest 7-nanometer chip technology. It's safe to assume that the A12X Bionic (or whatever ultimately calls its next high-end iPad chip) will also be built using TSMC's 7-nanometer technology.
The previous generation A10X Fusion chip was manufactured using TSMC's 10-nanometer technology.
