Rumor: 'A10' CPUs destined for Apple's 'iPhone 7' surface in new pics
With the announcement of Apple's next-generation iPhone said to be less than a month away, suppliers are undoubtedly gearing up for a massive product launch, and new pictures claim to show the "A10" chip that could power the "iPhone 7."
The image from Chinese microblogging site Sina Weibo was first discovered on Wednesday by Techtastic.nl. The same social media account has shared leaks in the past, including a purported "iPhone 7" running Apple test software.
Of course, the picture should be taken with a grain of salt, as such images could be easily created or manipulated. Still, with the next iPhone rumored to be unveiled at a media event on Sept. 7, the timing of hardware leaks for a crucial component would make sense.
In addition, earlier this week, alleged "iPhone 7" logic boards also appeared on Sina Weibo. They included an empty slot for a presumed "A10" processor, but lacked any actual chips on the board. As such it's impossible to tell whether the images show an "iPhone 7" board, or something else entirely.
The deluge of leaks is also a field day for fakers, who successfully tricked some publications earlier this week with a series of bogus "A10" Geekbench tests. To date, no potentially authentic benchmarks have been spotted in the wild.
Apple's silicon partner Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. is rumored to be the sole manufacturer of the "A10" that is expected to power Apple's 2016 iPhone upgrade. Reports have suggested the new processor could pack in 3 gigabytes of RAM for the larger 5.5-inch model, aiding performance of the larger screen and rumored high-resolution dual-lens camera system.
As for the rest of the handset, the so-called "iPhone 7" is rumored to ditch the legacy 3.5-millimeter headphone jack, opting instead for Bluetooth headsets or headphones connected through the Lightning port. It's also rumored that the home button will no longer move, instead providing haptic feedback that will simulate the sensation of a click.
The image from Chinese microblogging site Sina Weibo was first discovered on Wednesday by Techtastic.nl. The same social media account has shared leaks in the past, including a purported "iPhone 7" running Apple test software.
Of course, the picture should be taken with a grain of salt, as such images could be easily created or manipulated. Still, with the next iPhone rumored to be unveiled at a media event on Sept. 7, the timing of hardware leaks for a crucial component would make sense.
In addition, earlier this week, alleged "iPhone 7" logic boards also appeared on Sina Weibo. They included an empty slot for a presumed "A10" processor, but lacked any actual chips on the board. As such it's impossible to tell whether the images show an "iPhone 7" board, or something else entirely.
The deluge of leaks is also a field day for fakers, who successfully tricked some publications earlier this week with a series of bogus "A10" Geekbench tests. To date, no potentially authentic benchmarks have been spotted in the wild.
Apple's silicon partner Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. is rumored to be the sole manufacturer of the "A10" that is expected to power Apple's 2016 iPhone upgrade. Reports have suggested the new processor could pack in 3 gigabytes of RAM for the larger 5.5-inch model, aiding performance of the larger screen and rumored high-resolution dual-lens camera system.
As for the rest of the handset, the so-called "iPhone 7" is rumored to ditch the legacy 3.5-millimeter headphone jack, opting instead for Bluetooth headsets or headphones connected through the Lightning port. It's also rumored that the home button will no longer move, instead providing haptic feedback that will simulate the sensation of a click.
Comments
Ok, AI, take the second image as an example and come up with an equally detailed fake if it's that easy.
Personally that looks like a lot of hours in photoshop to me.
Edited: Had Apple instead of Qualcomm
Yeah, saw that mistake. It's now been corrected to Samsung & Qualcomm.
The BGA pads on the bottom of the chips don't come close to matching the pattern on the motherboards (and there's far too few pads for this type of processor.)
What exactly, I'm not sure of but I heard of Bluetooth energy-saving chips. Anything is possible really.
-the above is all speculation. Just saying.
I've been thinking that Apple might move the new Watch to 10nm first. The volume is lower and it desperately needs all the tech that can be thrown at it. Thus I'm thinking a 10nm Watch processor in late 2016 or early 2017.
As for A10 that will be an interesting chip because I'm not expecting a process shrink. TSMC has improved the process for their current node but I really don't know if that is enough to surprise us performance wise.