First Glimpse at Apple’s A9 Processor

There’s been an abundance of leaks of Apple’s iPhone 6S and 6S Plus leading up to its official release this Wednesday. We already know that the 6S models will feature Force Touch display technology – which was initially designed for implementation on the MacBook Pro and has become a popular feature on the Apple watch – and the approximate retail prices for each variant, but now we’ve been given our first glimpse of the chipset that will be powering the new handset, the A9 processor.

The A9 is produced by Samsung, who beat out previous chip provider TSMC to reunite with Apple. Prior to the A8, made by TSMC, Samsung provided Apple with all its chips, but a series of legal disputes drove a wedge between the two companies. For production of the new A9 chip, Samsung implemented its 14nm production process, which is said to have given the chip a smaller footprint than the A8.

The following photos, courtesy of GeekBar, reportedly show the A9, front and back, plus the iPhone 6S’ flash memory chip, size unknown, though we do know that models will include 16GB, 64GB, and 128GB options.

Reports suggest that the A9 clocks in at 1.8GHz, with single-core and multi-core tallies of 2248 and 4036, respectively.