iPad Air 3 and iPhone 5se will run A9X and A9 chips

iPad Air 2 (Lock screen, Silver, Gold, Space Gray 001

A third-generation iPad Air will run an ‘A9X’ processor and an ‘iPhone 5se’ will be outfitted with Apple’s ‘A9’ chip, according to Bloomberg Bussinessweek’s profile of Johny Srouji, Senior Vice President of Hardware Technologies.

“In March, Apple intends to announce an updated iPad and smaller-screen iPhone featuring the latest A9x and A9 chips, according to a person familiar with the plans, who wasn’t authorized to comment publicly,” reads a passage from the Bloomberg article.

It looks like both devices will get Apple’s up-to-date chips that power the iPhone 6s (A9) and the iPad Pro (A9X). The rumors have suggested that the iPhone 5se will look a lot like the iPhone 5s, and have the aforesaid A9 chip, NFC for Apple Pay, the camera system found in the previous-generation iPhone 6 and come in the familiar gold, rose gold, silver and grey colorways.

The iPad Air 3 should adopt some of the new features that have debuted on the iPad Pro, such as stereo speakers, support for Apple Pencil and a Smart Connector. Apple is expected to unveil both devices, alongside new Apple Watch accessories such as additional Sport band colors and a Space Black Milanese Loop, at a media event on Tuesday, March 15.

The publication’s sweeping profile tells an in-depth story of how then CEO Steve Jobs decided that Apple would become a fabless chip maker and gives a peek at chip-durability testing at an unmarked Apple lab in Cupertino.

Source: Bloomberg Bussinessweek