2021 iPad Pro Could Have an A14X Chip

Andrew Orr

Under a minute read
| News
A14X chip

Code found within the iOS 14.5 beta 5 release hints that the 2021 iPad Pros could have an A14X chip (via 9To5Mac).

A14X Chip

The report suggests that the A14X chip will be based on T8103, otherwise known as the M1 chip. Codenames for the new iPads are J517, J518, J522, and J523.

The announce date for these new products is unknown. Some rumors claimed that Apple would have a spring event on March 23, while others say they will be announced “as early as April.” Upgrades could involve a Thunderbolt port, improved cameras, and a mini-LED display for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro.

One thought on “2021 iPad Pro Could Have an A14X Chip”

  • Andrew:
     
    I think that there are two rumours you can take to bank:
     

    1. The iPad Pros will have the A14X chip, which is effectively the M1, which in turn was based on the earlier iPad Pro chipsets. 
    2. The new iPad Pro will have a mini LED display. Initially, the expectation was that this would apply to all iPad Pros, however, as you’ve suggested, the rumour now is that this will be applied only to the 12.9”, although rumours diverge here as to why this might be the case. As a fan of the 11” model for portability, I might be sufficiently disappointed if this proves true that I might switch to the larger form factor simply to play with the mini-LED, but I’m hoping this rumour is a misfire. I much prefer the 11”. 

     
    As for the rest, these have been on the iPad Pro fan base wish list for awhile now, including another perennial request, support for external monitor configuration (full screen use on an external monitor without using third party apps like Shift Screen), to name just one.
     
    The one thing on my wish list is for an upgraded iPadOS that can take full advantage of the power of the CPU, and run more desktop capable apps that, to this day, I cannot run on the iPad, although the CPU is not the limitation. This device is now my favourite to work from, although I am looking forward to purchasing the new Apple Silicon-powered iMac when it comes out. 
     
    For me, at least, the iPad Pro has redefined the ‘portable computer’, but it needs to, and can, do more. Whilst some have speculated that Apple intentionally cripple iPadOS so as not to compete with their laptop lineup, I think the evidence and precedent argue quite the contrary. Rather, that the demand for the iPad Pro is not quite at critical mass for Apple to devote the time and limited human resources into expanding iPadOS into a fully desktop capable system. I could be wrong. Time will tell. 
     
    In the meantime, having skipped the 2020 iPad Pro largely cosmetic upgrade, I am ready to hand my 2018 11” model down to my son and get the 2021. 

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