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A new iPhone requires a new SoC to run Apple's most recent smartphones. With the release of the iPhone 16 this year, the A18 is anticipated. Additionally, it seems like there is a lot more attention than normal focused on the silicon Apple intends to use in the upcoming iPhone models ahead of next week's Apple presentation.
There are two reasons for the attention that the A18 is receiving. To begin with, Apple is introducing a suite of AI-focused features called Apple Intelligence, and the performance of those features will be significantly influenced by the A18. As with any new phone introduction, there's also the customary curiosity about what the new chipset will imply in terms of performance and power efficiency.
However, there's another reason why the A18 and its additions to the iPhone 16 series are receiving more attention than normal. For many years, the only thing that really needed to be known about the Apple-designed chips that drove the most recent iPhones was that they were without a doubt the greatest mobile processors available, consistently outperforming the silicon found in Android phones across a range of benchmarks. Recently, however, Qualcomm's flagship CPUs have outperformed Apple's best efforts; in certain areas, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 found in the Galaxy S24 Ultra even outperforms more recent Apple products like the A17 Pro and A16 Bionic.
It seems sense that Apple is under pressure to reclaim its unchallenged performance throne. People are thus excited to find out if the iPhone 16 models with the A18 chip can accomplish it. Based on different reports regarding Apple's future chipsets, this is what we currently know about the A18 silicon. Full specifics will likely surface around the September 9 debut of the iPhone 16.
Which New iPhones Will Feature the A18 Chip?
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Until a few years ago, Apple used the same processor in every iPhone model that it introduced, or in some cases, a version of it, for the Pro models. But Apple started to change things around with the release of the iPhone 14 series. The regular and Plus versions used the system-on-a-chip from the previous year, but the Pro phones had the newest Apple silicon.
This means that in the instance of the iPhone 15, the A16 Bionic chip that powers the iPhone 14 Pro now controls the iPhone 15. In the meantime, the updated A17 Pro silicon is used in the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.
With the arrival of the iPhone 16, that split-silicon strategy appears to be coming to an end, as all signs point to Apple using an A18 processor in every future model. Leaked code that suggests a same processor for the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max supports that.
iPhone 16 vs. 16 Pro: Will They Share the Same A18 Chip?
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The iPhone 16 variants may have the same chipset, but it does not guarantee that their entire designs will be the same. One A18 version is anticipated to be included in the standard model iPhone 16, while a Pro version of the chipset will be present in the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. According to rumors, Apple is going to rename these processors after revealing the new phones, but for now, the A18 and A18 Pro are the names by which they are said to differ.
The A18 chip is expected to have six cores total, two of which being performance cores and the other four being efficiency cores, according to leaked specifications that were uploaded on Weibo. According to the leak, the A18's GPU would feature five cores.
iPhone 16: How Will the A18 Chip Perform?
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In addition, the A18 Pro chipset's CPU is expected to reach up to 4GHz, which is faster than the A17 Pro's 3.8GHz performance. Performance should improve overall as a result, yet it's difficult to determine how much based on leaked A18 benchmarks that have been all over the place.
According to benchmarks leaked at the beginning of the year, the iPhone 16 Pro would surpass both the M3 Max-powered MacBook Pro and existing smartphones with respect to Geekbench ratings. Single-core and multicore scores of 2,822 and 8,571, respectively, have been revealed in a less fantastical leak. These results would lag behind alleged specifications for the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, which is said to power the Galaxy S25 flagships next year.
Although it's entertaining to joke about leaked Geekbench scores, they aren't the most accurate representation of performance because chipset configurations in unreleased devices may change significantly from those in the final version. Still, it's reasonable to expect significant performance improvements over the A17 Pro.
A18 Chip: What AI Features Will It Bring?
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Modern phones require CPUs that can do more than simply deliver lightning-fast speed; they also need to be intelligent. Additionally, Apple plans to incorporate AI capabilities into its phones heavily with the A18.
In light of this, there is a rumor stating that the A18's neural engine can perform better than the M4 chipset's in the iPad Pro. Although we're not sure how much credence to place in that assertion, it seems sense that Apple would want a CPU with a powerful neural engine to support the operation of Apple Intelligence capabilities on a smartphone.
According to a similar rumor, the iPhone 16 models are anticipated to have a large RAM capacity in order to support AI. For instance, it has been speculated that the iPhone 16 would come with 8GB of RAM, up from the current iPhone 15 model's 6GB.
What’s Next After the A18 Chip?
Similar to the A17 Pro, the A18 is anticipated to be constructed using a 3-nanometer technology. However, a 2nm chipset may be used in the iPhones from 2025, which would improve performance. Transistors are crammed closer together in chips with lower nanometer specifications, which often results in significant increases in performance and power efficiency. Unfortunately, you will have to wait until the iPhone 17 to enjoy those advantages.