The new iPad mini does not use the same A20 Pro configuration across every storage size. The 512GB model gets a 6-core CPU and a Dual 16-core Neural Engine, while the 128GB and 256GB models get a 5-core CPU and a single 16-core Neural Engine.
Apple says the Dual 16-core Neural Engine offers double the processing power of the previous generation. The iPad mini ships on Friday, November 6, and every configuration has the same 7-core GPU.
The 512GB iPad Mini Adds an Efficiency Core and a Second Neural Engine
The 128GB and 256GB models have a 5-core CPU with 2 super cores and 3 efficiency cores. The 512GB model has a 6-core CPU with 2 super cores and 4 efficiency cores, so the extra core is an efficiency core.
The shared GPU has a Neural Accelerator in each core and hardware-accelerated ray tracing. That leaves the CPU and the Neural Engine as the only differences in the chip.
The second Neural Engine is the bigger change. By engaging all 32 cores, the 512GB model targets more advanced on-device AI work, and Apple names apps like Draw Things and Detail as examples.
Picking a storage size also means picking a CPU. The 512GB tier is also one of two sizes that offer the nano-texture display option.
Apple’s Headline CPU Numbers Come From the 6-Core Chip
Apple claims up to 1.6x faster CPU performance than the iPad mini with A17 Pro and up to 2.2x faster than the sixth-generation iPad mini. Both figures are based on the 6-core version, tested with the Affinity Photo 2 benchmark.
The Neural Engine claim uses the same chip. The test was a 1024 by 1024 text-to-image job in Draw Things with a 12-billion parameter model and the Neural Engine setting turned on.
GPU gains are up to 2.7x over the A17 Pro model and up to 4x over the sixth-generation iPad mini. For AI, the Neural Accelerators speed up large language model work by up to 4.5x, measured as time to first token with a 4-billion parameter model in the Locally AI app.
The OLED iPad mini with A20 Pro starts at $699 for the Wi-Fi model and $849 for Wi-Fi + Cellular in the US. Pre-orders open on Wednesday, October 28.
