iPhone 18 Pro might debut Apple's boldest chip upgrade in years
Apple's next big chip leap might be closer than we think. A fresh rumor hints at some major behind-the-scenes changes for 2026's A20 chip – and if true, it could set the stage for some of Apple's most exciting devices yet.
We are yet to see the iPhone 17 series and its reported dramatic redesign, but rumors and leaks about next year's iPhone 18 series are spreading like wildfire. We're hearing that the base iPhone 17 may come with the iPhone 16's chip, but the Pro models will get upgraded to a new one, albeit still built on a 3nm process. It seems the jump may be bigger with the A20 chip, the one that's supposed to power the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max. According to GF Securities analyst Jeff Pu, the Cupertino tech giant may launch the A20 processor with the Pro-branded iPhone 18 and the mysterious first foldable from the company.
Pu says that the new chip will use the 2nm process. As I already mentioned, the A18 chip (the current one) is built on a second-gen 3nm process, known as N3E. The upcoming A19, which is likely to power the iPhone 17 Air, is said to use a third-gen, N3P, process, but still 3nm.
The process the A20 may use is referred to as N2. It would be a first-gen process. Basically, what this could mean is that the A20 may be about 15% faster than the A19, and more efficient (about 30% less power used than its predecessor).
The iPhone 16 Pro sports the A18 Pro chip. | Image Credit - Apple It's been months that the rumor about the iPhone 18 models sporting a 2nm has been going around. Earlier, Ming-Chi Kuo stated all iPhone 18 models would come with such a chip, only to change his opinion later – to indicate that only the iPhone 18 Pro models would come with this chip. But there's another aspect to this story worth mentioning. A physical redesign of the chip is also rumored. Yes, a reduction in chip fabrication size is always beneficial, but a new design could bring even more advantages. Pu believes Apple will use TSMC's new Wafer-Level Multi-Chip Module, or WMCM. This new packaging process reportedly puts the memory straight onto the chip wafer. This means the memory will reside closer to the CPU, GPU, and Neural Engine. Thus, memory bandwidth should increase, as well as performance. Such a design, featuring shorter transits, will also help the hardware run cooler and even provide better battery life to the device. There were previous rumors about such a design originating in the Chinese social media website Weibo. However, Pu's notes are giving credibility to this rumor now.
The iPhone 18 series is still shrouded in mystery, expected in 2026. Before these phones, we have the iPhone 17 phones to look forward to, coming in the fall of this year. There may be a new design to the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, and also a new model may come to replace the 'Plus' – an iPhone 17 Air . The Air is expected to be a super-thin rival to the newly-announced Galaxy S25 Edge.
As for Apple's first foldable iPhone , this one is expected to be a book-style foldable, similar to the Galaxy Z Fold models. A massive leak earlier this year revealed quite a lot of what we might expect from this phone, but so far, everything is unconfirmed and speculative.
Meanwhile, Samsung is about to unveil (in early July) its next-gen Galaxy Z Fold – the Galaxy Z Fold 7, which is said to sport the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy, the chip in the Galaxy S25 series. Although it's very early to know for certain anything when it comes to the iPhone 18 (and 17, if I may add), this leak paints an exciting picture nonetheless.
What draws me in especially when it comes to these improvements isn't the speed, per se, as for me, flagship processors are fast already, but the improvements in battery life. For me, battery life as a key aspect of the experience with a phone is of utmost importance, and any upgrades here are always welcome.
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