iPhone 5se and iPad Air 3 Expected to Feature Apple’s Latest Generation SoC

Although Apple’s soon-to-be-released ‘iPhone 5se’ and ‘iPad Air 3’ are expected to feature only minor upgrades (in the case of the latter), and in a sense, downgrading (in the case of the former), a new report alleges that both devices will boast the same processors employed in the company’s current line of iPhones and iPad Pro.

As reported in a cover story published by Bloomberg, which profiled Apple’s chip fabricating processes, the Cupertino-company will be implementing the iPhone 6s’s 1.85 GHz dual-core A9 chip in the forthcoming 4-inch iPhone. The report also touts that the company’s dual-core 2.26 GHz A9X — currently employed in the 12.9-inch iPad Pro — will be implemented in the 3rd generation iPad Air.

If the report is indeed accurate, that would pit Apple’s forthcoming 4-inch handset — thought to be called the ‘iPhone 5se’ or ‘iPhone 6c’ — against the current generation iPhone 6s (aside from the smaller screen, of course.) This would be great news for those eager to get their hands on the new runt in Apple’s arsenal — especially considering how the A9 is 60% faster than previous generation chips, and is currently paired with 2 GB of RAM, allowing apps to run smooth as butter in the background. The A9 also features the M9 motion coprocessor, which powers such functions as the always-on “Hey Siri” voice assistant with no user provocation necessary.

Still unknown is how Apple plans to price its 4-inch iPhone, however, if the rumors ultimately come to play as they’re told, the company is gearing up to offer the device at a sub-$500 unsubsidized dollar amount — which would not only undercut the $549 iPhone 6, but offer users a more powerful device for the money.

Insofar as the third-generation iPad Air is pertinent, the device is said to feature Apple’s A9X processor found in the iPad Pro — a dual-core CPU boasting an impressive 12-cluster GPU. Giving even the A9 a run for its money, the super fast A9X effectively doubles the graphics power of its little brother.

The A9X also doubles the amount of memory built into the iPad Air 2 and iPhone 6s to an impressive 4 GB. What’s more, the performance of the A9X is further beefed-up thanks to a new storage controller — improving upon both read and write speeds.

So far, rumors have suggested that both Apple’s new 4-inch iPhone and refreshed iPad Air 3 will be announced at a media event held on March 15. Additionally, the latest rumors suggest the devices will hit store shelves just 3 days later on March 18.

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[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]