iPhone X: Six core A11 Fusion chip, wireless charging hints, Apple Pay + Face ID details, more

Chance Miller | Sep 10 2017 - 11:37 am PT

Update: Steve Troughton Smith clarifies the processor information:

https://twitter.com/stroughtonsmith/status/906990986504568833

Leaks continue today from the iOS 11 GM. Yesterday, we told you about iPhone X details such as the Face ID setup process, and now a handful of more details have emerged related to wireless charging, camera improvements, and more…

While several reports have highlighted that the iPhone X will support wireless charging, the iOS 11 GM further corroborates that. Code strings show a few mentions of wireless charging in the ChargingViewService app. The strings here hint at some 3D animations that will show when the device is charging via wireless charging.

Perhaps most notably, however, is that the code suggests that the new A11 Fusion chip is a six core processor. It appears as if Apple will pack four high performance, or “Mistral,” cores and two battery life efficient “Monsson” cores.

For comparison’s sake, the A10 Fusion processor in the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus pack two high performance cores and two high-efficiency cores. Meanwhile, the A10X in the iPad Pro features a 3+3 setup. This means that the new iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X will be Apple’s most powerful iOS device by wide margin. Of course, one important thing to note here is that performance partially will depend on the clock speed of the processors, but either way we’re looking at a dramatic jump.

As far as the camera goes, the iOS 11 GM suggests that the iPhone 8 and iPhone X will support 4K video at 60 FPS, as well as 1080p video at 240 FPS. It was initially believed that these camera improvements would only apply to the flagship iPhone X, but the iOS 11 GM suggests it will come to both the iPhone 8 and iPhone X.

Furthermore, it’s now believed that the new Portrait Lighting features will be available on both the iPhone 8 and iPhone X. As we reported yesterday, Portrait Lighting features settings for things like Contour Light, Natural Light, Stage Light, Stage Light Mono, and Studio Light. This feature will likely be related to flash and lighting during Portrait Mode shots.

The iOS 11 GM also offers a bit more information about the side power button, which is believed to be much larger on the iPhone X than on previous devices. It appears as if the power button will be integral to the Apple Pay process as Face ID will passively authenticate the payment, but you’ll have to double click the power button to confirm it.

The same code also hints that Face ID will come to the iPad at some point down the line. While this is likely a case of Apple future proofing the code, it’s still notable as it’s likely a look at what’s to come with next year’s iPad upgrades.

This is just the tip of the iceberg

ChargingViewService confirms wireless charging. It will even show some 3D animations when charging (not present in GM tho) pic.twitter.com/JLBd4HQLpS

— Guilherme Rambo (@_inside) September 10, 2017

https://twitter.com/filipekids/status/906747322528399360

https://twitter.com/stroughtonsmith/status/906923290886885379

And it appears that Face ID occurs automatically but you double click the side button to confirm payment pic.twitter.com/NcN0u9KKTt

— Jeff Grossman (@Jeffrey903) September 10, 2017