New images of what is said to be the logic board for the iPad Air 2, indicate the device will include an advanced A8X chip, and possibly 2GB of RAM.
Furthermore, the new image published by Apple.club.tw [Google Translate] seems to point towards 2GB of RAM for the device. Though the image of the RAM on the logic board is low resolution and fuzzy, enhancing the contrast and the brightness reveals a bit of information about the numbers on the chip. While the first letter is entirely blurred, it is the second character that is key to determining whether the chip is 1GB or 2GB.
MacRumors notes that a 1GB Elpida chip would have an “8” in the second character slot, while a 2GB chip would have an “A” in the same spot. The quality of the image makes it difficult to determine for sure what the second character is, but it appears likely to be an “A” as it is narrower at the top and wider at the bottom.
While rumors have floated for a few years about Apple moving to 2GB of RAM in its popular iOS devices, Apple has so far stuck to 1GB of RAM, as seen in the recently released iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus handsets.
As for the A8X chip, Apple made a similar move with the fourth-generation iPad, using an improved A6X chip in the place of the A6 used in the iPhone 5. However, Apple used the same A7 chip found in the iPhone 5s for the iPad Air, although clocked to a higher speed.
An enhanced A8X chip may enable Apple to use much rumored features such as split-screen multitasking, or use it to drive a rumored “Retina HD” screen for the new iPad, which would likely require a more powerful processor to drive at a satisfactory frame rate.
The logic board also appears to contain a 16GB Hynix flash module (denoted by the “TDG” characters on the chip), indicating the second-generation iPad Air may continue to be offered with a 16GB storage option. Apple continues to offer a 16GB storage option for its iPhone 6 and 6 Plus handsets, alongside 64GB and 128GB options. The company dropped the 32GB offering, and dropped the price of the 64GB and 128GB offerings down $100 from their previous pricing levels.
Apple is expected to debut the iPad Air 2 – and likely an updated Retina iPad mini – alongside updated iMacs, including a 27-inch model sporting a Retina display, at their event, coming up on Thursday, October 16. MacTrast will be live-tweeting the event, with all the information about the announcements immediately following the event.
