Alleged 'iPhone 6' benchmark suggests 'A8' CPU has 1GB of RAM, is clocked at 1.4GHz
A Chinese user who claims to have gotten their hands on a functioning "iPhone 6" has posted pictures taken with the device's camera, along with benchmarks suggesting that Apple's next-generation "A8" processor will boast a gigabyte of RAM and will run at a speed of 1.4 gigahertz.
The details come from user "zzray" on the Chinese social networking site Weibo, the same person who posted photos and video of an apparently functioning "iPhone 6" unit over the weekend. They suggest that Apple's next iPhone will feature the same amount of RAM as the iPhone 5s before it.
The clock speed would be an improvement however,coming in slightly faster than the 1.3 gigahertz A7 chip that powers the iPhone 5s. The new "A8" is said to be a dual-core 64-bit chip, just like its predecessor, tests with GeekBench 3 show. The benchmarks were first noted on Monday by GforGames.
The amount of RAM in Apple's next iPhone has been something of a point of contention amongst technology enthusiasts, who hope to see more memory in future devices. Additional RAM would allow iOS to leave background tasks and tabs in Safari open for longer without a need to reload or refresh.
But additional RAM also comes with costs to battery life, as memory constantly consumes power. Making more RAM available to programs on an iPhone would result in a faster battery drain, and so less memory actually improves battery life.
Apple first began offering a gigabyte of RAM in its custom CPUs with the A5X chip that debuted in the third-generation iPad with Retina display in 2012. Later that same year, the A6 processor that powered the iPhone 5 also came with a gigabyte of RAM, marking the first time Apple had achieved that amount on a phone.
The user also uploaded a picture taken with the alleged "iPhone 6" camera. It shows much better low-light details captured than with an iPhone 5s.
Purported iPhone 6 image.
iPhone 5s image.
Finally, the user also noted that they could not find any mention of a near-field communications chip in the native Settings application on iOS 8. Other videos posted have also shown no options for controlling NFC, which is believed to power Apple's anticipated payments system.
However, the leaked iPhone does feature a new iOS 8 Passbook icon with a graphic showing what appears to be a credit card. It's possible that the unit was simply obtained with a pre-release version of iOS 8, and does not include the intended functionality yet.
Apple's media event is scheduled for 10 a.m. Pacific, 1 p.m. Eastern today at the Flint Center in Cupertino, Calif. The company will live stream the event, and AppleInsider will also be there live in attendance with full coverage. Readers can get the latest news on our liveblog and via the official AppleInsider app for iPhone and iPad.
The details come from user "zzray" on the Chinese social networking site Weibo, the same person who posted photos and video of an apparently functioning "iPhone 6" unit over the weekend. They suggest that Apple's next iPhone will feature the same amount of RAM as the iPhone 5s before it.
The clock speed would be an improvement however,coming in slightly faster than the 1.3 gigahertz A7 chip that powers the iPhone 5s. The new "A8" is said to be a dual-core 64-bit chip, just like its predecessor, tests with GeekBench 3 show. The benchmarks were first noted on Monday by GforGames.
The amount of RAM in Apple's next iPhone has been something of a point of contention amongst technology enthusiasts, who hope to see more memory in future devices. Additional RAM would allow iOS to leave background tasks and tabs in Safari open for longer without a need to reload or refresh.
But additional RAM also comes with costs to battery life, as memory constantly consumes power. Making more RAM available to programs on an iPhone would result in a faster battery drain, and so less memory actually improves battery life.
Apple first began offering a gigabyte of RAM in its custom CPUs with the A5X chip that debuted in the third-generation iPad with Retina display in 2012. Later that same year, the A6 processor that powered the iPhone 5 also came with a gigabyte of RAM, marking the first time Apple had achieved that amount on a phone.
The user also uploaded a picture taken with the alleged "iPhone 6" camera. It shows much better low-light details captured than with an iPhone 5s.
Purported iPhone 6 image.
iPhone 5s image.
Finally, the user also noted that they could not find any mention of a near-field communications chip in the native Settings application on iOS 8. Other videos posted have also shown no options for controlling NFC, which is believed to power Apple's anticipated payments system.
However, the leaked iPhone does feature a new iOS 8 Passbook icon with a graphic showing what appears to be a credit card. It's possible that the unit was simply obtained with a pre-release version of iOS 8, and does not include the intended functionality yet.
Apple's media event is scheduled for 10 a.m. Pacific, 1 p.m. Eastern today at the Flint Center in Cupertino, Calif. The company will live stream the event, and AppleInsider will also be there live in attendance with full coverage. Readers can get the latest news on our liveblog and via the official AppleInsider app for iPhone and iPad.
Comments
I had certainly hoped that they'd have 2GB of ram, one of the biggest reasons stated for certain devices not getting the latest iOS update is due to lack of Ram. 2GB would almost guarantee an extra year of support.
The Air, with the same clockspeed as this alleged new iPhone, got 1358 and 2455.
So it's faster, but not a quantum leap like the jump from A6 to A7 (assuming this is real).
Apple is stingy with RAM in their mobile devices for whatever reason. I just hope the new iPad gets 2GB otherwise I keep my iPad Air for one more year.
I would had prefer 2g on all devices, but the ipad ram issues are becoming urgent. I had several game problems with my ipad mini retina that are directly related to ram shortage. As always, gaming is where a tech hardware device shows its limitations. We are reaching a point where some gaming apps are recommending using an Android device instead of an ipad to solve performance issues. I think discarding gaming is a major mistake because a lot of folks buy those devices for games. The Mac's are getting me worried too because Apple is using ghetto GPU's on almost all models now with no better GPU options. We still have high end iMac's with GPU options, but its getting very expensive to get a gaming Mac.
Maybe the 4.7" will have 1g and the 5.5" 2g. I am so going to rofl if this happens.
I know we have all had this exact same conversation before many times recently but I reiterate my view that whatever Apple use be it 1, 2 or 100 GIGs they are using what they have, after a great deal of testing, found to be optimal not what will save money in production. It is impossible to compare Macs and iDevices with the other crap out there anymore and RAM is a classic example of where this is especially true. No other manufacturer controls so many aspects of the experience. Stating the obvious, Apple have the OS and hardware and with some products even CPUs in-house or of their own design. So, for armchair amateurs on blogs stating what amount of RAM they feel is required, is to say the least, as good as facing the wrong way in a strong wind while peeing.
Apple needs to keep the footprint of iOS as small as possible though. I will admit I'm very tired of the tab refreshes in Safari on my Air. My browsing style has always been one that uses a lot of tabs, but when the device can't even keep two tabs loaded, well...
This sounds like a faster A7, it might still be too early for an A8.
I can only go off my experience (and the experience I read about from others). Safari on the iPad is not a great experience. Tab refreshes are bad enough (they existed on iOS 6 too) but I still encounter random crashes too. If Apple can find a way to make Safari better on the iPad with only 1GB RAM that's fantastic, but I have my doubts.
I know, the ram issue is almost becoming a joke. I feel my new ipad air and ipad mini retina are gimp devices, I will replace those as soon as Apple upgrade the ram. The current devices are not for power users or gamers.
At some point I dont want a thinner device, I want better battery life and more ram... maybe having a design guy in charge is not such a great idea.
Digital- Rogi is right. I'm on an air- but what is the point of having multiple tabs if they have to reload anytime you go back and forth. As long as no "new" browsing occurs, you can go back to the other tab, but as soon as you click one thing, you're back to square one. It's kinda sad at this point.
With a 5.5" device, you're reaching the threshold on a phone too, since you're bordering on tablet territory.
I know we hear the battery life excuse, but these android bloat ware pieces of garbage still manage to have substantial battery life with 2gb+ ram while staying at a similar thinness as the iPhone.
What is an extra .5gb really gonna do to battery life?
It’s a new iPhone. It’s a new processor. Period.
This is not enough of an advance
to pull me from the iPhone 5s.
I don't do a lot heavy gaming on my iPad so can't speak to that. I don't have many issues outside of Safari and constant refreshes when switching between apps. When I go into diagnostics I see a lot of low memory reports. I'm not sure how anyone could say with a straight face that 1GB RAM is sufficient on iPad. If it is then they have some crappy software engineers working on Safari because it's not optimized for 1GB at all.
The thing is I am planning to do a lot of gaming on the 5.5" phone, lets hope that phone has 2g of ram. Maybe Apple needs to have "pro" devices. If people like you are seing problems in apps other than games, its even more serious than I taught.
Normally, Apple are good at balancing specs, they have to know 1g is not enough. Maybe there is a conflit between engineers and the design team, but since the boss is a design guy, design wins.
I know we have all had this exact same conversation before many times recently but I reiterate my view that whatever Apple use be it 1, 2 or 100 GIGs they are using what they have, after a great deal of testing, found to be optimal not what will save money in production. It is impossible to compare Macs and iDevices with the other crap out there anymore and RAM is a classic example of where this is especially true. No other manufacturer controls so many aspects of the experience. Stating the obvious, Apple have the OS and hardware and with some products even CPUs in-house or of their own design. So, for armchair amateurs on blogs stating what amount of RAM they feel is required, is to say the least, as good as facing the wrong way in a strong wind while peeing.
This is dangerously blind acceptance. Apple is a company and a core goal here is, indeed, keeping costs low and profit high. They may go with 1GB, but only because it is acceptable, not because it's optimal.
I am curious how less RAM makes for a better experience on older devices. Care to enlighten me?
This is dangerously blind acceptance. Apple is a company and a core goal here is, indeed, keeping costs low and profit high. They may go with 1GB, but only because it is acceptable, not because it's optimal.
Depends on apps they are testing, I am sure "Hello kitty" and "Pages" are working fine with 1g of ram. I hope Apple will aim on having the best devices and not "average Joe" devices and let Android have the high end market...