This shouldn’t come as a surprise at all, but the new iPad mini 8 with OLED display has a faster A20 Pro chip, if you get the 512GB model.
The 512GB iPad mini has a Faster A20 Pro Chip, But You Definitely Won’t Need it
To make things clear, all new iPad mini variants come with the A20 Pro chip. However, if you squint a little, you’ll notice that the one inside the 512GB model is slightly different.
Is it different enough that you should spend your money on it? Nope. But it is different enough for everyone to notice.
A20 Pro in 128GB and 256GB Models
In these storage tiers, the A20 Pro comes with the following specs:
- 5-core CPU with 2 super cores and 3 efficiency cores
- 7-core GPU
- Neural Accelerators
- 16-core Neural Engine
With me so far?
A20 Pro in 512GB Model
Read carefully and you’ll catch it:
- 6-core CPU with 2 super cores and 4 efficiency cores
- 7-core GPU
- Neural Accelerators
- Dual 16-core Neural Engine
As you can see, the 512GB model has an extra CPU core, and dual 16-core Neural Engine. Apple says the dual Neural Engine cores allow the iPad mini to run local LLMs twice as fast.
For the average user, these small changes make no difference at all. If you think spending that extra money just for that extra core is worth it, it’s clearly not worth it.
If you’re buying the 512GB model anyway for extra space, then you should know that you’re getting a little extra with it.
