Apple iPad mini (2024) uses slower A17 Pro chipset
Apple released the new iPad mini (2024) with the A17 Pro chipset last Tuesday. The same chip is also used in the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. However, there is an exciting little detail on the official website: The tablet only has a 5-core GPU, instead of the six cores found in the iPhones. That sounds like Apple is using a slower version of the A17 Pro.
Chipsets like these are often referred to as “binned”. They do not achieve the same quality standard during production – in this case, the chip only has five GPU cores instead of six. Instead of disposing of the inferior CPUs, they apparently end up in the new iPad mini (2024), increasing Apple’s margin on chip production. It is also quite possible that the version with 6-core CPU and 5-core GPU was not powerful enough for the iPhones, but there was a large enough batch to equip the new iPads.
In addition, Apple stopped production of the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max after the launch of the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. This means that there may still be a few additional chips waiting to be used that were originally intended for the smartphones.
However, even with one less GPU core, the chip is still extremely powerful and more than capable of competing with current Android tablets. In addition, the A17 Pro is also able to activate Apple Intelligence with iOS 18.1. After all, Apple draws the line exactly after the iPhone 15 Pro. This means that the iPad mini (2024) will also have Apple Intelligence after its launch with iOS 18.1. The tablet can already be pre-ordered at a starting price of 599 euros / 499 US dollars. Sales begin on October 23rd.
