Apple iOS 14.5 code shows references to A14X chipset for iPad Pro, might be as powerful as M1

There have been enough rumours and speculations pointing out at the arrival of new iPad Pro models in April this year. And adding to the list is a new report by 9to5Mac, stating that the ‘Pro’ refresh will be powered by the rumoured A14X chipset, which could be based on the M1 chip. The M1 chipset is Apple’s first ever silicon chip that is meant to replace Intel chips in Mac devices.

As mentioned by 9to5Mac, there are a couple of references about the new ‘A14X’ processor in iOS 14.5 code. The website states that Apple chips usually have an internal codename and iOS 14.5 codes refer to GPU from a chip called ‘13G’, which is currently not being used in any of the iOS devices. The website states that this might be the anticipated A14X processor, a variant of A14 Bionic, which is found in iPhone 12 models.

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Also found is that the A14X is based on T8103, which is also a codename of the Apple M1 chip that is used in Apple Silicon Macs. This also falls in line with the Bloomberg report that the next-gen iPad Pro will have an improved processor, which could be at par with M1 chipset in terms of power.

Adding to the speculation is that since no other iOS-based device is rumoured to launch in the first half of 2021, the processor might be for no other device than iPad Pro. The website adds that the codenames of the new iPads are J517, J518, J522, and J523.