During the unveiling of the new iPad, Apple CEO Tim Cook noted that it has an A5X processor with quad-core graphics. Frenzied fanboys rushed to tweet about it and announce to friends on Facebook that the new iPad is in fact a quad-core device. FYI, the new iPad isn’t quad-core. When we review Tim Cook’s statement, he never called A5X a dual-core processor in the first place. He just shadily mentioned that it has quad-core graphics, leaving behind the “dual-core” branding which many didn’t really want to hear considering all the quad-core devices announced at last week’s MWC.
As previously rumored, A5X is in fact a dual-core processor. The only detail we missed was that it has a quad-core graphics chip in it and it’s clear now – that’s what the “X” stands for.
Quad-core graphics sets A5X apart and makes it better than the A5 processor found in the iPhone 4S. In a graph shown yesterday, Apple touted that A5X delivers graphics performance that’s two times better than A5 and four times better than its Android rival, NVIDIA Tegra 3. Of course, NVIDIA wasn’t very pleased with that comparison and says they’ll be doing their own benchmarks to see which is really faster.
So there you have it. The new iPad is powered by a dual-core A5X processor with enhanced, quad-core graphics. A5X is not quad-core. It’s possible that since A6 didn’t show up yesterday, it could be the quad-core processor we’re all excited to see. I’m thinking Apple will use it on their upcoming iPhone 5 or perhaps, “the new iPhone” if we follow Apple’s new branding strategy.
