While the iPhone 17 series is still three months away from launching, rumors about next year's iPhone 18 models continue to surface.
The latest word comes from Apple analyst Jeff Pu. In a research note with equity research firm GF Securities this week, Pu said that he expects the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and so-called iPhone 18 Fold to be equipped with Apple's A20 chip, and he believes the chip will have some key design changes over the A18 and upcoming A19 chips.
First, Pu reiterated that the A20 chip will be manufactured with TSMC's 2nm process. The current A18 Pro chip in iPhone 16 Pro models is fabricated with TSMC's second-generation 3nm process, while the A19 Pro chip for the iPhone 17 Pro models is expected to use TSMC's third-generation 3nm process. The move from 3nm to 2nm starting with the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Fold models would allow for more transistors in each chip, which helps to boost performance. Specifically, previous reports indicated that A20 chips should be up to 15% faster and up to 30% more power efficient than A19 chips.
An overview of current and expected iPhone chips:
- A17 Pro chip: 3nm (TSMC's first-generation 3nm process N3B)
- A18 chips: 3nm (TSMC's second-generation 3nm process N3E)
- A19 chips: 3nm (TSMC's third-generation 3nm process N3P)
- A20 chips: 2nm (TSMC's first-generation 2nm process N2)
Keep in mind that these nanometer sizes like 3nm and 2nm are simply TSMC marketing terms, rather than actual measurements.
Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo also expects the A20 chip to be 2nm, which is not very surprising if you look at the iPhone chip trajectory.
There is another alleged change that would be more notable. In addition to the 2nm process, Pu said that he expects the A20 chip to use TSMC's newer Wafer-Level Multi-Chip Module (WMCM) chip packaging technology. With this new design, RAM would be integrated directly onto the chip's wafer with the CPU, GPU, and Neural Engine, rather than being adjacent to the chip and connected with a silicon interposer.
This packaging change could contribute to a wide range of benefits for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Fold over previous models, including faster performance for both overall tasks and Apple Intelligence, longer battery life, and improved thermal management. The change could also result in the A20 chip having a smaller footprint than previous chips, which could free up space inside the iPhones for other uses.
This packaging change for the A20 chip has also been rumored previously.
All in all, the A20 chip is shaping up to be a big upgrade for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Fold models, which should launch in September 2026.
