Since the launch of the new iPad, the iPad 2 has perhaps taken a back seat to the glory of Retina Displays, A5X processors, 5 megapixel cameras, LTE and dictation. However, a recent discovery has revealed that a revised version of the iPad 2 packs a little more punch than first thought. According to AnandTech, ever since the launch of the new iPad Apple has quietly been shipping a revised version of the iPad 2 which utilizes an A5 processor with slightly different construction, resulting in, surprisingly, up to two hours more battery life than the previous version of the iPad 2.
The A5 processor in the new iPad 2 is a 32nm A5, compared to the 45nm A5 found in the older version of the iPad 2. This means that the processor has the same performance but the die-shrunk 32nm A5 uses less power for the same speed. This translates to two hours more battery life which means that the new version of the iPad 2 could potentially offer twelve hours of use versus the ten hours advertised by Apple. It’s actually likely to be even more because many people have found that the older version of the iPad 2 can run for well over ten hours and that figure is simply the minimum specification given by Apple.
This, therefore, has implications for the iPhone, since the iPhone 4S utilizes a 45nm A5 processor. It is expected that Apple will be looking to put a 32nm A5X processor in the next iPhone, thereby increasing the speed while maintaining a low power consumption, a consideration that will certainly be high on the list of priorities if 4G LTE makes it into the next iPhone.
Unsucky…