 Apple A9X chip | |
| General information | |
|---|---|
| Launched | September 9, 2015 |
| Discontinued | June 5, 2017 |
| Designed by | Apple Inc. |
| Common manufacturer | |
| Product code | APL1021 |
| Performance | |
| Max. CPU clock rate | 2.16 GHz[1] to 2.26 GHz[2] |
| Cache | |
| L1 cache | Per core: 64 KB instruction + 64 KB data |
| L2 cache | 3 MB shared |
| Architecture and classification | |
| Application | Mobile |
| Technology node | 16FF+ nm (TSMC)[3] |
| Microarchitecture | Twister[4][5] |
| Instruction set | ARMv8-A: A64, A32, T32 |
| Physical specifications | |
| Cores |
|
| GPU | Custom PowerVR Series7XT (12 cores)[3][6] |
| Products, models, variants | |
| Variant | |
| History | |
| Predecessor | Apple A8X |
| Successor | Apple A10X |
The Apple A9X is a 64-bit ARM architecture-based system on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc., part of the Apple silicon series. It first appeared in the iPad Pro, which was announced on September 9, 2015 and was released on November 11, 2015.[7] The A9X has the M9 motion coprocessor embedded in it, something not seen in previous chip generations. It is a variant of the A9 and Apple claims that it has 80% more CPU performance and twice the GPU performance of its predecessor, the A8X.[8]
The latest software update for the iPad Pro 12.9 1st generation & 9.7 using this chip was iPadOS 16.7.9, released on July 29, 2024, as it was discontinued with the release of iPadOS 17 in 2023 due to hardware limitations of the A9X. It is expected to continue receiving security updates for some period of time.
- ^ "9.7 inch iPad Pro includes 2 GB RAM, slightly slower CPU than 12.9 inch iPad Pro". 22 March 2016. Archived from the original on 2016-03-24. Retrieved 2016-03-24.
- ^ a b "The A9X SoC & More To Come - The iPad Pro Preview: Taking Notes With iPad Pro". AnandTech. November 11, 2015. Archived from the original on November 13, 2015. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
- ^ a b Smith, Ryan (November 30, 2015). "More on Apple's A9X SoC". AnandTech. Archived from the original on December 1, 2015. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
- ^ Joshua Ho. "iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus Preliminary Results". anandtech.com. Archived from the original on 2016-05-26. Retrieved 2015-09-28.
- ^ Joshua Ho, Ryan Smith. "A9's CPU: Twister - The Apple iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus Review". anandtech.com. Archived from the original on 2016-01-18. Retrieved 2015-11-03.
- ^ Kanter, David. "A Look Inside Apple's Custom GPU for the iPhone". Archived from the original on 2019-08-27. Retrieved 2019-08-27.
- ^ "Apple Introduces iPad Pro Featuring Epic 12.9-inch Retina Display" (Press release). Apple. September 9, 2015. Archived from the original on September 11, 2015. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
- ^ Chester, Brandon (September 9, 2015). "Apple Announces the iPad Pro and iPad Mini 4". AnandTech. Archived from the original on October 9, 2016. Retrieved September 9, 2015.