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iPhone 5 with A5X or A6?

Sensamic

Sensamic

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Mar 26, 2010
3,145
779
What do you guys think?

Will Apple keep the A5 with quad core graphics on the next iPhone or develop the A6?
 
A5X, I'd be willing to bet. The iPad has pretty consistently exhibited the new processor that shows up in the next iPhone for the past couple of years. I'd be surprised if its any different this year.
 
I could argue for either, by I think I have to put down A6 as my answer.

But I'm only 60/40 sure, though. Which is to say, not that certain at all. That's just the way I'm leaning.
 
Oh! Please let me start the argument this time... :)

"What?! You're kidding yourself if you think the next iPhone will be called the iPhone (insert favorite number here). Just look at the history and you will see it will absolutely be called the iPhone (insert you favorite number or letters here.)"

:):):)
 
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A6. Time to upgrade to 22nm from 45.
 
definitely A5X. Apple won't give the iphone a better processor than the ipad of the generation, because the iphone needs a lower clocked processor for battery life. Just look at what happened with the 4S
 
Seeing as the A5X and A6 were apparently developed simultaneously, it would not surprise me. Maybe the A6 is an A15 based design and wasn't ready in time to include in the iPad (3). I also have a hard time imagining Apple going quad core with an A9 and then back to dual core with an A15.
 
Epiphron said:
definitely A5X. Apple won't give the iphone a better processor than the ipad of the generation, because the iphone needs a lower clocked processor for battery life. Just look at what happened with the 4S
Click to expand...

You're forgetting that an 800MHz A15 dual core is equivalent in performance and is far superior in power consumption than a 1.2 GHz quad core A9.
 
No need for the A5X's quad-core GPU in the 6th iPhone. The display resolution will not be increasing, and it's resolution is fraction of 3rd iPad.

Oct 2012. A6, more efficient, more powerful, less power hungry CortexA15 based, dual-core CPU and dual-core GPU.

Mar 2013. A6X with the quad-core GPU variant of that A6 for the 4th iPad.

I still see little need for a quad-core cpu, computational unit, for mobile applications. Battery life is too critical, and apps are too simple.
 
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The will probably keep the A5X. That way, they will have something better to sell next time around.
 
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Just to add wild speculation into the discussion, what do you think the long term trend is going to be for mobile CPUs?

Beyond a certain point (which may not be for a few years yet), it almost seems silly to have a massively powerful cellphone, tablet and computer. You are buying processing power 3 times over. Meanwhile, data transmission is always getting faster and faster. does anyone think we're approaching the point where you buy your processor once, and everything else is a thin client? Maybe it's atrix style where the phone is the brain and you plug it into larger screens and peripherals. Or maybe you buy a powerful box at home and all your devices just draw processing power remotely. Or maybe all your processing is done in the cloud (which I'm sure the tech giants would love to provide on a subscription service for everyone.)

Anyway, I just think this is a way more interesting thing to contemplate than what branding the next iPhone processor will carry :p
 
new design same processor, unless a 1Ghz A5 chip slows down while running iOS 6 which is unlikely to happen

this is fine for me if someone can find a bootrom jailbreak exploit
 
What else outside of a bigger screen and 4g can Apple really do with the next iPhone? my iPhone 4 is fast, screen is amazing, works flawlessly, could take better pictures, video is great but outside of a bigger screen and 4g I don't know what else I'd really want.
 
A5X gets pretty damned warm running the iPad. Not sure if that's from running all those pixels or not.

Dunno if it's a good fit for the next iPhone.
 
That will depend. Apple has to come out with 1 or 2 big things in the next iphone.
Let's say if they come with a new design, an even better screen and some other things, they might put A5X in it.
On the other if they run out options, then A6 has to be one of the big things...
 
Another theory for you, the iPhone 5 will not come with either an A5 or A6 but the new Exynos chip. The Galaxy S3 is heavily rumoured to be getting a quad core version and people in the know have already said the dual core version kicks some serious butt! And as it's made by Samsung, Apple will have quids in, maybe they will call it the A6?

But I was under the impression the A6 was supposed to use the fancy new 3D transistor technology like what Intel has developed, also it's supposed to use the new PowerVR 6 series GPU chip. I am not sure if either are in the Exynos?

I am just really hoping that the iPhone 5 isn't much bigger then the 4, but it has a 3.7" or 4" screen. I am also hoping for an even better camera, but that is all anyones guess.
We need some more iPhone rumours now really? :( it's the only Apple product I want, and can afford this year :(

However, speaking of the screen IMO my iPhone 4 screen is still THE best I have seen on a phone, due to it's retina resolution and brightness so I won't actually be that fussed if they keep the same 3.5" size and the same compact form factor :)
 
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