A8 processor headed for iPhone 6, 6 Plus handsets said to incorporate six-core design, other features

Apple’s come a long way with its iPhone processors.

And, according to reports, the new A8 processor is more than 84 times faster than the processor found in the first-yen iPhone back in 2007.

Per a hearty investigation by AnandTech and AppleInsider, the A8 processor that will be found in the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus handsets is likely equipped with Imagination’s six-core PowerVR Series6XT GX6650. The GX6650 is the only PowerVR part that could both match Apple’s claimed performance improvements and supports ARM’s Adaptive Scalable Texture Compression, which Apple developer documents say is available with its next-generation graphics processors.

ASTC is a relatively new standard for texture compression that allows GPU vendors to make their chips more power efficient, while still maintaining high levels of performance. The codec can compress nearly any texture, no matter the format, and output in a wide variety of bitrates that can be varied based on performance requirements.

Meanwhile, the application processor is believed to run on a modified version of the Cyclone architecture introduced with the A7. Based on Apple’s presentation last Tuesday, it’s believed that benchmarks leaked shortly before the iPhone 6’s introduction are legitimate, placing the clock speed of the A8 at 1.4 gigahertz.

That would be a mere 100 megahertz increase over the A7, a bump that the publication believes is not enough to account for the A8’s upgraded performance. Instead, Apple is likely to have “enhanced or otherwise significantly optimized” the A8’s processor core, which would represent “a significant accomplishment” given the time frame involved.

One thing, and a source of disappointment for some, is that the A8 processor is thought to maintain the 1 gigabyte of RAM found on the iPhone 5, 5s and 5c units, despite advancements in other areas of the design.

Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.