Next-gen iPhone, iPod touch may include an A5X "variant," but why?

Is the 'X' for 'Extreme?'

Apple is purportedly testing a next-generation hardware platform for the next iPhone revision expected later this year. While the external design is still being worked out, test mules using an iPhone 4S body with an A5X "variant" are reportedly being circulated internally at Apple for testing, according to sources speaking to 9to5 Mac. Furthermore, it appears that the next-generation iPod touch could be in store for a much-needed hardware upgrade.

First, these sources claim that Apple is testing next-generation iPhone hardware, which will utilize what the site characterized as a "variation" of the A5X processor used in the third-generation iPad. Externally, these test devices are cosmetically identical to an iPhone 4S "to throw off leaks," but the next-gen hardware is still expected to have a revised form factor.

Does an A5X variant make sense for the iPhone?

How exactly the claimed A5X variant differs from the one in the iPad isn't clear, but test devices are said to be equipped with 1GB of RAM, up from the 512MB RAM used in the A5 processor in the iPad 2 and iPhone 4S. The A5X in the latest iPad is nearly identical to the A5 processor, which includes two Cortex A9-based ARM CPU cores and two PowerVR SGX 543 GPU cores. The A5X doubles the number of SGX 543 cores to four, enough to pump out three million pixels for the iPad 3's Retina display, and doubles the RAM to 1GB.

But the A5X processor draws more power than the A5, which is part of the reason the iPad 3 requires a 70 percent larger battery. It also creates more heat than the A5, requiring some extra engineering to dissipate. This relatively slight difference even created a minor controversy, as many users said that the area of the device near the processor was noticeably warm.

Sticking an A5X into an iPhone-sized form factor makes little sense, though. The display simply doesn't require the extra GPU power, it would be far more difficult to dissipate the added heat, and anything that would negatively impact the iPhone's battery life will undoubtedly cause far more consumer concern than a 10? different in temperature.

If the process destined for the next-generation iPhone is an A5X variant, and not a rumored quad-core, 28nm process "A6," it's difficult to speculate what may be different. Perhaps Apple is merely packaging an A5 with 1GB of RAM and calling it a day. Alternately, it may retain the dual-core Cortex A9 design with two slightly improved PowerVR GPU cores along with increased RAM. Or perhaps Apple could move the current A5 design to a 28nm process, saving power and heat while maintaining performance.

Additional RAM will help keep things running smoothly when switching among multiple applications, and keep iOS's UI responsive. And while additional processing performance is nearly always welcome, the performance of the A5 used in the iPhone 4S is already considered to be quite fast and capable of good graphics performance. It's possible that the next-revision of the iPhone will focus on optimization instead of additional raw speed.

Where art thou, iPod touch?

While information about internal test mules for the next-gen iPhone doesn't tell us much about its upcoming internal hardware changes, it does appear that the iPod touch might finally get the upgrade attention it deserves this year. 9to5 Mac's sources point to software references for an iPod5,1 model. The current iPod touch is dubbed "iPod4,1," indicating the next update will include significant hardware changes.

Last October, Apple did nothing more than slap on some white paint and knock $30 off 2010's iPod touch. So while the iPhone 4S is capable of "eye-melting graphics," according to Apple, the most popular mobile gaming platform was left to languish with year-old internals. At the time, we suggested that the move was largely motivated by the fact that iPod revenue is peanuts compared to revenue for the iPhone or iPad. Still, the iOS platform makes up nearly three-quarters of Apple's revenue stream, and the iPod touch still helps grow that platform on the order of 5-10 million units per quarter.

Games are a driving force in iOS app sales, and gaming is the number one reason people are buying iPod touches, according to Apple. Given this, we think it's highly likely that Apple will bring the internals in line with the current iPad and iPhone 4S. If that means using the A5 processor as is, or as this rumored A5X variant, it would bring some parity across all iOS devices.

What other changes are in store are hard to say. We expect there may be some changes to the iPod touch's form factor, if anything to account for additional processing power and possibly battery capacity. We also hope Apple upgrades the iPod touch's camera hardware, much as it did with the iPad 3. (That may be a stretch for a device that retails for just under $200, but we can dream, can't we?)

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