iPhone 16 series may offer A18 series chipsets based on 3nm process.
Apple’s iPhone 16 series phones could offer the same A18 series chipsets based on 3nm process from TSMC. Here are the details.
It has been just a little more than a month since Apple launched its iPhone 15 series—including the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 15, and the iPhone 15 Plus. Despite this, the rumour mill about Apple’s next generation of iPhones is already starting to take shape.
According to Wccf Tech, based on the publication’s interaction with analyst Jeff Pu, Apple’s second-generation 3nm chipset, the A18, will succeed the current top-end A17 Pro found in the iPhone 15 Pro models, and may be used in all iPhone 16 models, including the standard iPhone 16. Moreover, Apple could potentially offer two different monikers for this second-generation 3nm chipset, for Pro and non-pro iPhones.
If this scenario materializes, it would mark Apple’s departure from the trend of offering the previous generation of processors with the standard iPhone model. This year, the iPhone 15 featured the A16 Bionic from the previous year’s iPhone 14 Pro, while last year’s iPhone 14 also used the same A15 Bionic from the iPhone 13 Pro lineup.
This major change, as suggested by Jeff Pu, could mark the availability of two 3nm chipsets: the standard A18 and the A18 Pro. It is speculated that the iPhone 16 Pro models may be equipped with the A18 Pro, while the standard iPhone 16 models may come with the A18. This strategy mirrors the one Apple follows with the Mac lineup—offering the base M2 chipset with the MacBook Air and making the M2 Pro chip available for the MacBook Pro lineup (14” and above).
Jeff Pu suggests that TSMC will manufacture the A18 SoC lineup based on its second-generation N3E 3nm process. Additionally, the switch to the N3E process is expected to result in better yields compared to the N3B process.
However, like all rumors, this too should be taken with a grain of salt—especially at this early stage. Nevertheless, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Apple streamline its mobile SoC naming and processes in order to simplify things for its users.
