A14X Bionic Chip and Unreleased iMac References Found in Latest iOS 14.5 and macOS Big Sur 11.3 Beta

BY Rajesh Pandey

Published 24 Mar 2021

The latest iOS 14.5 beta and macOS Big Sur 11.3 beta contain references to some unreleased Apple products. While the fifth beta of iOS 14.5 contains references to an A14X chip meant for the 2021 iPad Pro, the latest macOS Big Sur 11.3 beta contains references to two unreleased iMacs.

iOS 14.5 beta 5 contains references to a GPU codenamed “13G,” which is the A14X variant of the A14 Bionic chipset from Apple as per information received from 9to5Mac. It also reports that the A14X chip is based on the M1 chip codenamed T8103. This likely indicates that the A14X Bionic inside the 2021 iPad Pro will offer performance similar to the M1-based Macs.

The codenames for the upcoming new 2021 iPad Pro have also been revealed: J517, J518, J522, and J523. Since references to the new iPad Pro and A14 Bionic chip have been found in the latest iOS 14.5 beta, Apple will likely launch the new iPad Pros alongside the public release of iOS 14.5.

iMac 2021 colors

The fifth beta of macOS Big Sur 11.3 also references unreleased IMacs with the codenames “iMac 21,1,” and “iMac21,2.” There’s are no references to the display size of these iMacs, so it is unclear if they are redesigned 24-inch Macs or one with a 27-inch display. An iMac refresh from Apple is long due, especially with the company now discontinuing the iMac Pro and selected 21.5-inch iMac variants.

The new iMacs are expected to feature a redesigned chassis with slimmer bezels and a design similar to the Pro Display XDR. Apple may unveil its new iMac lineup alongside the 2021 iPad Pro within the next couple of weeks.

[Via 9to5Mac, 2]