iPhone 16 / 16 Plus Could Get A Big Jump to Apple A18 Chip
Apple has long employed a strategy of creating distinctions between its ‘vanilla’ iPhones and the pricier Pro models by using different chipsets. This approach has been a means of boosting revenue from its higher-end offerings, but the winds of change may be blowing for the iPhone 16 / 16 Plus.
iPhone 16 / 16 Plus Might Skip A17 for Apple A18 Chip
According to Jeff Pu, an analyst specializing in Apple and its supply chain, all four models of the iPhone 16, expected in 2024, will be powered by the A18 chip. This marks a departure from the current lineup in 2023, where the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus sport the A16 Bionic chip, while the Pro variants, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, run on the A17 Pro chip.
Now, this move might suggest that Apple is veering away from emphasizing chip capabilities as a key selling point for its Pro series, but that isn’t entirely the case. In 2024, all four models will indeed use the A18 chip, but the Pro variants are rumored to feature the A18 Pro. This suggests that there may be extra power packed into the Pro models.
It could be argued that Apple is reshaping its chipset nomenclature to create a sense of parity between the standard and Pro iPhones in terms of hardware specs. The exact differences between the A18 and the A17 Pro remain to be seen.
Both the A18 and A18 Pro will be manufactured by TSMC using its “N3E” second-generation 3nm process. Notably, this process is expected to be more cost-effective and yield better results than the “N3B” process employed for the A17 Pro. Stay tuned for further updates as we await the official launch.
Pokdepinion: While Apple is making changes to its chip strategy for the iPhone 16 series, the precise implications for consumers and the mobile industry at large will only become apparent in due time. After all, it’s a long-term strategy so it can be hard to see the big picture at first.
