Apple has recently unveiled the iPhone 15 series, encompassing four distinct models. The base models, iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus were equipped with the A16 Bionic chipset from the previous year, while the Pro variants boasted the A17 Pro.
Now, discussions surrounding the upcoming iPhone 16 series have begun, and notable Apple supply chain analyst Jeff Pu has provided insights. According to Pu, Apple is poised to break from the practice of using older chipsets in their baseline models.
Leaks on iPhone 16 Series Chipset
Recent reports indicate that all models within the iPhone 16 series will feature the cutting-edge A18 chipset. Consequently, Apple will discontinue the use of the previous year’s chipset in their base models. In his research note with Haitong International Securities, Jeff Pu outlined that the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus are expected to incorporate the new A18 Bionic processor, while the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will be powered by the A18 Pro System-on-Chip (SoC).
This marks Apple’s departure from the Bionic nomenclature, a change initiated this year with the A17 Pro. While the iPhone 16 series is still a year away from release, it’s important to acknowledge that details may evolve over time.
Beyond nomenclature, Pu also anticipates significant enhancements in next year’s processor. The A18 chipset is set to be produced using the second-generation 3nm chipset process from TSMC, known as N3E. This new processor is expected to offer improved affordability and efficiency compared to the first-generation N3B 3nm process, which underpinned the A17 Pro chipset powering the iPhone 15 Pro models.
Jeff Pu has garnered a reputation for the accuracy of his Apple-related leaks. He was the first to suggest that the iPhone 15 Pro Max would be pricier than its predecessor and that the Pro versions would boast 8GB of RAM.
