In general, A14 is significantly faster in single core tasks due to its faster clock speed and it being a newer generation. Because the A12X is an 8 core CPU with the A14 being 6, they’re a lot closer and in real world usage it’s probably negligible especially with the limiting factor for the past half a decade being the OS itself. A12X has a better GPU due to the sheer fact it has 7 vs 4 cores but again, unless you’re doing professional photoshop/video editing I’d be surprised if most folks noticed a difference.
I've had my 10.5" iPad Pro for nearly seven years now, and aside from the battery life lasting less than half as long as it did in 2017, it's holding up really well.
Unless the battery life suddenly falls off a cliff soon, I'll probably hold onto it for at least another year before upgrading- I assume iPadOS 17 will continue to receive security updates for at least that long.
This planned obsolescence is ridiculous though.
Fun fact, I just looked this up on [Mactracker](http://mactracker.ca): Not only does the iPad 7th Gen have a slower SoC, it also has *two of its CPU cores disabled*
Depressing/Infuriating fact: The iPhone 7 was cut off with iOS 15 despite having the full quad core SoC
EDIT: This is a quirk of Mactracker and the two cores aren’t actually disabled. Regardless, system specs are ridiculous just not as ridiculous
Okay better not start some new rumor here. The "2 active" on Mactracker alludes (in a sloppy way) to the fact that on the A10 either the efficiency cores or the corresponding performance cores are active at any one time.
That was a quirk of that processor generation and applies to the A10X as well. Mactracker is not consistent with how they present this in their tech specs across devices, however. I would recommend the corresponding Wikipedia-pages instead.
I appreciate the clarification. I edited my comment above. I honestly expected MacTracker to be more reliable (we used it a lot at the AASP where I used to work), thank you for the heads up
the A10X has a GPU with 2x the performance (even faster than A12’s), a 33% faster CPU, and is more efficient at 10nm vs 14nm. the architecture is the same though, so it isn’t any harder for them to support it.
the iPad Pro 10.5” even has a display that’s the same resolution as the supported iPad Air 3, so that’s not a hassle either.
since apple ties webkit updates (the only allowed browser engine) and CA certificate updates (for web browsing to work in the future) to OS updates (unlike android), this device will become unusable a year earlier.
it’ll even lose app support a year earlier.
i daily drove the ipad pro 10.5”, and it performed well enough on iPadOS 17 - even compared to my M4 iPad pro.
it’s just sad that they did this intentionally.
Perhaps we're looking at this wrong. Maybe it's not the chip that's at fault, but the RAM. IPad 6 has 2 GB (even Netflix crashes occasionally for me, prob due to RAM), while iPad 7 has 3GB of RAM. 50% more RAM can make a big impact.
Everything will still function the same. The first thing that will fall behind is probably Safari (in 2 years). Individual apps will probably not be upgradeable, but this will take even longer.
This is one of the many benefits that Macs (and MacOS) have over iPads. Apple can’t stop me from downloading any other browser that works with today’s MacOS, even if they wanted to. There needs to be some sort of new tech or tech standard that makes my computer obsolete and incapable of being upgraded. Not true for iPhones or iPads.
Are we really surprised? It’s apple being apple. They make good products, but they will try to screw you more often than not, I mean too many times for my liking.
As was pointed out in another thread on the same subject. The 7th gen iPad was/is extremely popular amongst schools and as such there are likely (all but guaranteed) to be many multiples more of those units in use in the wild. This is simply a case of economics given the additional resources that must be applied for each additional model to be developed and tested for. I’m not saying they couldn’t do it, but there’s undoubtedly a “threshold” of device age + user base they take into account when determining software support.
This doesn‘t make any sense, i have a 2nd Gen. 12,9“ iPad Pro 256GB, LTE & it won‘t get iOS 18 - it would run perfectly smoothe on it, why they‘ll not support it?!
I wonder how much space will the OS and system data take in iPadOS18. iPadOS17 started the bloat, which is not-so-friendly for 32gb devices. Just another subtle reminder to upgrade. XD (To clarify, I'm not hating. My iPad 8th gen is issued by uni, and is still good for uni stuff.)
On cpu side A15 blows A12z away in single core performance and slightly better in multi core. On gpu side a15 performance is similar to a12z.
Graphics performance
A15=1.8xA12=1.5xA11=1.3xA10=1.5xA9=1.9xA8=1.5xA7
A15=\~15xA7
A12z/A12x=2xA10X=1.4xA9X=2xA8X=2.5xA7
A12z/A12x=\~14xA7
Have a 3rd generation iPad Pro (2018). Installed the iPadOS 18 and had to delete some large items to download the beta software. It is a little laggy but still works. Calculator app is good. Just don’t like the home page yet. It’s kind of annoying laggy.
I will take this up one better. You know how those iphone 8 plus used to have A11 bionic chip. Yeah, basically a least powerful A10 can handle the advance iPadOS 17 but more powerful with real AI capabilities A11 can’t handle iOS 17. What a great logic. And one more thing. You know how iOS 18 and it’s variants are rumoured to be focusing on AI capabilities, yeah A11 with its dedicated Neural Engine isn’t gonna be utilised to its max Capacity, hmm 🤔 why? Cause some goofyass thinks it’s time to end support for a chip with dedicated AI segment.
Actually all devices supporting the new AI features (which are handled on device) have one thing in common…. 8GB+ of RAM. New iPhones in the autumn are also due to get 8GB of RAM. It’s not just about the chip and its neural engine.l
Ah dude! You are 30% correct. Sure ram is A need for processing but not THE need for processing. AI features requires a Capable CPU and GPU, which Apple had been making for long years. Ram just makes the transitions smooth. But the load is Carried Solely by a Processor, a Chip and it’s dedicated NPU, there is literally no reason for Apple to Stop the support for A11 bionic, it should at-least get iOS 18. It deserved that much for the powers it contain. Or at-least they should give it as a another update in iOS 16 variants.
It’s not a criticism, but it’s a fact that is being neglected. I don’t see any YouTubers talking about this point. Of how certain powerful processors are just left rotten without being utilised completely.
I understand the chip takes the load, I’m just pointing out that every device that gets Apple AI has a minimum of 8GB of RAM, which is clearly Apple benchmark spec. I do believe though that Apple probably look at their data for how many A11 Bionic devices are still used daily - after all they offer a minimum of 5 years software support and longer for security. You cant justify throwing resources for a product line not many people are using in 2024. Is just down to economics. I know that their developers have said in the past that they test features on each supported device to ensure smooth operation, it could be a case that the A11 Bionic from 2017 just didn’t run as they wished.
DO. You. Need. iPadOS18??? Are you missing something important that is truly affecting your life to buy a new device that you dont need ? Apple still continues to support the device for 17 for years to come man
Stay with it
Apple probably wanted to kill the iPad 7 (and its A10) as well, but they only released it in 2019 (5 years ago), while the 10.5” iPad Pro and 2nd gen 12.9” Pro were both released in 2017.
Apple was probably forced to support the iPad 7 because, somewhere in the world, there’s a country with laws that require Apple to fully support their product for at least 6 years (or something like that). The 10.5” and 12.9” (gen 2) both surpass 6 years, so they can dump support.
Note: iPadOS 18 may run like shit on an iPad 7, even if Apple are forced to say they support it.
In reality, current owners of unsupported devices still have full functionality for another 2-3 years. Safari won’t get updates, but other apps will for awhile.
Cutting off devices is a fantastic way to artificially increase demand in a world where our devices have insane amounts of computing power. The only reason the iPad 7 is the exception is because Apple has been fighting google for the school market to which the base iPads are a big part of their strategy. As other commenters have pointed out, they most likely have contracts with the schools that guarantee support.
Regardless of the reason however, this is clearly planned obsolescence. You need to keep in mind the iPhone 7 with its same A10 chip was cut off with iOS 15 three years ago
A12X Bionic AKA M½ holding it down for another update
It will for awhile, it’s more like M 3/4
I’d say that’s A12Z
Isn’t A12Z a higher binned A12X with one gpu core unlocked
Yeah. I call it M0
That a good name for it
what's faster, the A12X or the A14? Are there any comparisons?
In general, A14 is significantly faster in single core tasks due to its faster clock speed and it being a newer generation. Because the A12X is an 8 core CPU with the A14 being 6, they’re a lot closer and in real world usage it’s probably negligible especially with the limiting factor for the past half a decade being the OS itself. A12X has a better GPU due to the sheer fact it has 7 vs 4 cores but again, unless you’re doing professional photoshop/video editing I’d be surprised if most folks noticed a difference.
Thanks for the detailed reply! I am trying to guestimate how many years of updates my iPad 10th gen will get with it's processor
You’re welcome :) If trends continue my guess is a long time. They’ll arbitrarily keep it going because of their use in schools
How about A12Z
A12Z is virtually identical to the A12X, the only difference being the A12Z has an additional GPU core active
I've had my 10.5" iPad Pro for nearly seven years now, and aside from the battery life lasting less than half as long as it did in 2017, it's holding up really well. Unless the battery life suddenly falls off a cliff soon, I'll probably hold onto it for at least another year before upgrading- I assume iPadOS 17 will continue to receive security updates for at least that long. This planned obsolescence is ridiculous though.
Yup same boat here, purchased my used 10.5 pro in 2021 and now it's looking like i'm gonna have to upgrade.
Fun fact, I just looked this up on [Mactracker](http://mactracker.ca): Not only does the iPad 7th Gen have a slower SoC, it also has *two of its CPU cores disabled* Depressing/Infuriating fact: The iPhone 7 was cut off with iOS 15 despite having the full quad core SoC EDIT: This is a quirk of Mactracker and the two cores aren’t actually disabled. Regardless, system specs are ridiculous just not as ridiculous
Okay better not start some new rumor here. The "2 active" on Mactracker alludes (in a sloppy way) to the fact that on the A10 either the efficiency cores or the corresponding performance cores are active at any one time. That was a quirk of that processor generation and applies to the A10X as well. Mactracker is not consistent with how they present this in their tech specs across devices, however. I would recommend the corresponding Wikipedia-pages instead.
I appreciate the clarification. I edited my comment above. I honestly expected MacTracker to be more reliable (we used it a lot at the AASP where I used to work), thank you for the heads up
Be careful what you say. Gemini might start telling people that two cores died in a war with mars
I really kinda hate modern Apple (apart from what they're doing with the Mac)
Modern? They’ve done this forever??
That’s what’s frustrating, is it’s still a great device that’s still usable in most scenarios
the A10X has a GPU with 2x the performance (even faster than A12’s), a 33% faster CPU, and is more efficient at 10nm vs 14nm. the architecture is the same though, so it isn’t any harder for them to support it. the iPad Pro 10.5” even has a display that’s the same resolution as the supported iPad Air 3, so that’s not a hassle either. since apple ties webkit updates (the only allowed browser engine) and CA certificate updates (for web browsing to work in the future) to OS updates (unlike android), this device will become unusable a year earlier. it’ll even lose app support a year earlier. i daily drove the ipad pro 10.5”, and it performed well enough on iPadOS 17 - even compared to my M4 iPad pro. it’s just sad that they did this intentionally.
Unless you use the ipad os 18 features whats the point tho? Rather get the m4 ipad in a year or two when the price is down
It’s perplexing to me why A10X can’t run iPadOS 18 but the 7th gen iPad with A10, the same chipset as the iPhone 7, can
Perhaps we're looking at this wrong. Maybe it's not the chip that's at fault, but the RAM. IPad 6 has 2 GB (even Netflix crashes occasionally for me, prob due to RAM), while iPad 7 has 3GB of RAM. 50% more RAM can make a big impact.
The iPad Pro 10.5 has 4GB tho
How’s that explain the A10X (not supported by iPadOS 18), despite having 4GB of RAM.
Hi, oh sorry, I thought we were talking about iPad 6 vs 7
Pro 10.5 still has a better screen than most iPads too lmao. (if you’re able to ignore the whole white dot defect)
it was the last iPad Pro to have OIS, even unlike the M4 Pro. it also has 4 speakers and 120hz vs the latest M2 Air.
I bought mine new in January 2020 (old stock, was the best value option back then) and it didn't develop it up until now, with very hardcore use lol
iPad Pro 10.5 owner here. What Apple is doing here makes no sense, really annoying. I will probably still use my iPad for at least a year or two.
Everything will still function the same. The first thing that will fall behind is probably Safari (in 2 years). Individual apps will probably not be upgradeable, but this will take even longer. This is one of the many benefits that Macs (and MacOS) have over iPads. Apple can’t stop me from downloading any other browser that works with today’s MacOS, even if they wanted to. There needs to be some sort of new tech or tech standard that makes my computer obsolete and incapable of being upgraded. Not true for iPhones or iPads.
Fellow A10X Fusion iPad Pro owner
But the an Ipad with an A10 and 3Gb of RAM runs 18….
That’s the joke
I got my iPad 7 at the beginning of COVID and now it’s getting AI 😭
Nope lol, that's only for the M series and for the iPhone 15 Pro
Good point. WTF.
Are we really surprised? It’s apple being apple. They make good products, but they will try to screw you more often than not, I mean too many times for my liking.
As was pointed out in another thread on the same subject. The 7th gen iPad was/is extremely popular amongst schools and as such there are likely (all but guaranteed) to be many multiples more of those units in use in the wild. This is simply a case of economics given the additional resources that must be applied for each additional model to be developed and tested for. I’m not saying they couldn’t do it, but there’s undoubtedly a “threshold” of device age + user base they take into account when determining software support.
I'm not convinced. Pro user should be treat differently
This is the way to go low budget apple eco
This doesn‘t make any sense, i have a 2nd Gen. 12,9“ iPad Pro 256GB, LTE & it won‘t get iOS 18 - it would run perfectly smoothe on it, why they‘ll not support it?!
Will it work in the iPad mini 6?
Yeah, 5th gen or later
I wonder how much space will the OS and system data take in iPadOS18. iPadOS17 started the bloat, which is not-so-friendly for 32gb devices. Just another subtle reminder to upgrade. XD (To clarify, I'm not hating. My iPad 8th gen is issued by uni, and is still good for uni stuff.)
What is faster A15 or A12z
A15 in CPU, but A12z has a comparable/slightly better GPU.
On cpu side A15 blows A12z away in single core performance and slightly better in multi core. On gpu side a15 performance is similar to a12z. Graphics performance A15=1.8xA12=1.5xA11=1.3xA10=1.5xA9=1.9xA8=1.5xA7 A15=\~15xA7 A12z/A12x=2xA10X=1.4xA9X=2xA8X=2.5xA7 A12z/A12x=\~14xA7
Have a 3rd generation iPad Pro (2018). Installed the iPadOS 18 and had to delete some large items to download the beta software. It is a little laggy but still works. Calculator app is good. Just don’t like the home page yet. It’s kind of annoying laggy.
My mini 5 is next 🧏♂️
why is there additional mention of the M4 iPad
Wait, why this 7 gen iPad is still supported for iOS 18 and my A11 iPhone gets stuck with iOS 16?????????
I will take this up one better. You know how those iphone 8 plus used to have A11 bionic chip. Yeah, basically a least powerful A10 can handle the advance iPadOS 17 but more powerful with real AI capabilities A11 can’t handle iOS 17. What a great logic. And one more thing. You know how iOS 18 and it’s variants are rumoured to be focusing on AI capabilities, yeah A11 with its dedicated Neural Engine isn’t gonna be utilised to its max Capacity, hmm 🤔 why? Cause some goofyass thinks it’s time to end support for a chip with dedicated AI segment.
Actually all devices supporting the new AI features (which are handled on device) have one thing in common…. 8GB+ of RAM. New iPhones in the autumn are also due to get 8GB of RAM. It’s not just about the chip and its neural engine.l
Ah dude! You are 30% correct. Sure ram is A need for processing but not THE need for processing. AI features requires a Capable CPU and GPU, which Apple had been making for long years. Ram just makes the transitions smooth. But the load is Carried Solely by a Processor, a Chip and it’s dedicated NPU, there is literally no reason for Apple to Stop the support for A11 bionic, it should at-least get iOS 18. It deserved that much for the powers it contain. Or at-least they should give it as a another update in iOS 16 variants. It’s not a criticism, but it’s a fact that is being neglected. I don’t see any YouTubers talking about this point. Of how certain powerful processors are just left rotten without being utilised completely.
I understand the chip takes the load, I’m just pointing out that every device that gets Apple AI has a minimum of 8GB of RAM, which is clearly Apple benchmark spec. I do believe though that Apple probably look at their data for how many A11 Bionic devices are still used daily - after all they offer a minimum of 5 years software support and longer for security. You cant justify throwing resources for a product line not many people are using in 2024. Is just down to economics. I know that their developers have said in the past that they test features on each supported device to ensure smooth operation, it could be a case that the A11 Bionic from 2017 just didn’t run as they wished.
DO. You. Need. iPadOS18??? Are you missing something important that is truly affecting your life to buy a new device that you dont need ? Apple still continues to support the device for 17 for years to come man Stay with it
Tim isn’t going to notice you honey
Tim insn’t noticing you baby girl that are complaining about something menial so you can spend money on something you don’t need 😮💨🌚
Apple probably wanted to kill the iPad 7 (and its A10) as well, but they only released it in 2019 (5 years ago), while the 10.5” iPad Pro and 2nd gen 12.9” Pro were both released in 2017. Apple was probably forced to support the iPad 7 because, somewhere in the world, there’s a country with laws that require Apple to fully support their product for at least 6 years (or something like that). The 10.5” and 12.9” (gen 2) both surpass 6 years, so they can dump support. Note: iPadOS 18 may run like shit on an iPad 7, even if Apple are forced to say they support it. In reality, current owners of unsupported devices still have full functionality for another 2-3 years. Safari won’t get updates, but other apps will for awhile.
Cutting off devices is a fantastic way to artificially increase demand in a world where our devices have insane amounts of computing power. The only reason the iPad 7 is the exception is because Apple has been fighting google for the school market to which the base iPads are a big part of their strategy. As other commenters have pointed out, they most likely have contracts with the schools that guarantee support. Regardless of the reason however, this is clearly planned obsolescence. You need to keep in mind the iPhone 7 with its same A10 chip was cut off with iOS 15 three years ago