iPad Mini's A17 Pro Chip Has One Downside Compared to iPhone 15 Pro

While the new iPad mini is equipped with the A17 Pro chip that debuted in iPhone 15 Pro models, the iPad version of the chip has one downside.

According to Apple's tech specs, the A17 Pro chip in the iPad mini 7 has a 5-core GPU, whereas the chip has a 6-core GPU in iPhone 15 Pro models. This means the iPad mini will have slightly worse graphics performance compared to the iPhone 15 Pro models, but most customers are unlikely to notice this difference when using the device.

It is likely that a small percentage of A17 Pro chips manufactured for iPhone 15 Pro models had a defective GPU core, and Apple likely disabled that core entirely and salvaged these chips by using them for the new iPad mini. This process is referred to as "binning," which maximizes supply chain yield and reduces waste.

Apple says the A17 Pro chip in the new iPad mini delivers up to 30% faster CPU performance and up to 25% faster GPU performance compared to the A15 Bionic chip in the previous model. Real-world benchmark results have yet to surface for the iPad version of the chip, but Apple's advertised performance claims are typically accurate.

Given the new iPad mini supports Apple Intelligence, it likely has 8GB of RAM, up from 4GB in the previous model. We will confirm this detail through Apple's developer tool Xcode and/or teardowns as soon as possible, so stay tuned for a follow-up story.