Geekbench is a popular resource for folks who want to test out device speeds from a wide range of manufacturers, and, sometimes, it even manages to reveal unofficial scores, too.
That appears to be the case with the latest scores from the resource, as was first discovered by Consomac. The report indicates that at least one of the new iPhone models rumored to launch later this year was tested last week via Geekbench, and has revealed what could be Apple’s next-generation processor for the iPhone X’s successor. The device in question is listed as “iPhone 11,2”, and is outfitted with a D321AP motherboard. The report suggests this may be the “iPhone 9”, but also throws in “iPhone 11” for good measure.
The processor in the test is ARM-based, and has similar characteristics to what’s available in the A11 Bionic from last year. As far as the speedtests are concerned, the new processor is getting about 10% better speeds when compared to the processor in the iPhone X. That’s for the single-core score. Meanwhile, the multi-core score reveals a smaller improvement, with just a 5% difference.
The Geekbench score also indicates this handset will have 4GB of RAM — an uptick from the 3GB of RAM that’s available in the iPhone X right now.
There are some things to be aware of, though. First and foremost, the “iPhone 11,2” indicator, and the similarities between this processor and the A11 Bionic could suggest we’re looking at specs for the unannounced, but oft-rumored 6.1-inch iPhone — the one rumored to be equipped with an LCD panel, not OLED. That could mean that that upcoming handset is running a variant of the A11 Bionic processor, rather than the A12 itself.
Our Take
This does admittedly sound like a variant of the A11 Bionic, rather than a full upgrade to the A12. But, then again, a small uptick in performance (at just 10 percent), doesn’t seem impossible, either. Apple is indeed putting a lot of focus on performance with iOS 12, especially for older devices, so maybe the new A12 doesn’t need to rely on such huge performance updates on its own.
[via Venture Beat; Consomac]
