Alleged Apple M1X SoC in upcoming MacBook Pro 16 ready to outcore and outscore its M1 ARM-based relative

Apple only just launched the superlative-collecting M1 chip and now it appears there is another ARM-based SoC in the works over in California. An alleged leak from a tipster known as LeaksApplePro on Twitter has offered some intriguing information about an even more powerful chip in the form of the currently titled M1X (“name isn’t final”). The potential Apple M1X offers more cores and more performance than the benchmark-beating M1 chipset.

The M1X will supposedly come with 12 CPU cores compared to the eight that are found in the Apple M1 part. The latter processor has its eight CPU cores divided handily into four performance cores (Firestorm) and four power-efficient cores (Icestorm). However, the M1X wants to step up the performance by offering eight Firestorm cores and four Icestorm cores. With this configuration, not only would the Apple M1X outcore the M1 but it should also easily outscore it in synthetic benchmarks.

Along with this reveal of an M1 variant with additional cores, the same leaker also claims that Apple will announce the chip in a press release as part of a MacBook Pro 16 system unveiling in the first quarter of 2021, so in other words, coming soon. Interestingly, a purported source who got to grips with a prototype exclaimed “if you think M1 is fast, you haven’t seen M1X”. It’s a mouth-watering prospect and even those who are not particularly fans of Apple products can still appreciate the quality of the company’s processors and will be curious to see how an M1X might perform.