New report reiterates Apple will use A18 chipsets for all iPhone 16 models

Published On: October 20, 2023

Highlights

iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus yet again reported to get A18 chipset.
The iPhone 16 Pro series is tipped to get an A18 Pro SoC.
The chipset will be based on TSMC’s second-generation 3nm process “N3E.”

Apple just launched the iPhone 15 series. The baseline iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus come with last year’s A16 Bionic chipset, while the Pro models come with the new A17 Pro SoC. There are reports that Apple will use the same A18/A18 Pro chipset for all models of next year’s iPhones, probably dubbed iPhone 16. Now, noted Apple analyst Jeff Pu, who usually leaks Apple and its supply chain news, reiterates that all four models will come with the A18 chipset.

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iPhone 16 series to come with A18 chipset

Jeff Pu originally shared the prediction last month and shared this yet again in a research note this week with Hong Kong-based investment firm Haitong International Securities.
In the latest note, Pu says “We expect all iPhone 16 models to feature A18.”
He further expects that the chips to be manufactured with chipmaker TSMC’s second-generation 3nm process “N3E.”
The Apple A17 Pro chip in the iPhone 15 Pro models is based on TSMC’s first-generation 3nm process “N3B” and he refers to this as a “transition design.”

Furthermore, Pu outlines his model-specific expectations in response to an email from MacRumors:

iPhone 16: A18 chip (N3E)
iPhone 16 Plus: A18 chip (N3E)
iPhone 16 Pro: A18 Pro chip (N3E)
iPhone 16 Pro Max: A18 Pro chip (N3E)

N3E is believed to be less expensive and has improved yield compared to N3B, as per TSMC. The standard iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus currently ship with an A16 Bionic chip, so the A18 chip will be a big upgrade and will skip the A17-branded chip.

But then again, the iPhone 16 series launch is still 11 months away, and Pu appears to be making educated guesses with the marketing names. There are chances that the brand might tag the iPhone 16 series chips as A17, while the Pro model chip could be called A18 Pro.