A18 Pro: what to expect from Apple’s next rumored chipset
Leakers are predicting more cores and a larger die area
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The A18 Pro is likely to beApple’s next-generation mobile chipset and the beating heart of the as-yet-unannouncediPhone 16 ProandiPhone 16 Pro Max– and possibly even the lower-endiPhone 16andiPhone 16 Plus.
All four devices are hotly tipped to launch at the nextApple Eventon September 9, and we can’t wait to see how the A18 Pro – which will surely be more powerful than the currentA17 Prochipset inside theiPhone 15 ProandiPhone 15 Pro Max– improves what will surely be Apple’sbest iPhones, well, ever.
Below, we’ve detailed the biggest leaks, rumors, and predictions surrounding Apple’s likely next chipset. We’ll be updating this page with more information once the iPhone 16 series – and, we hope, the A18 Pro – is announced in the coming days.
A18 Pro: predicted release date
As mentioned, Apple has confirmed that its next product launch event will take place at 10am PT /1pm ET / 6pm BST on Monday, September 9, which is 3am AEST on Tuesday, September 10 for those in Australia.
We’re expecting the company to debut the iPhone 16 line at this event, and therefore the A18 Pro chipset. Naturally, theiPhone 16 release datehasn’t yet been confirmed, but we predict thatiPhone 16 preorderswill begin on Friday, September 13.
Incidentally, the colorful invitation for Apple’s upcoming event states “It’s Glowtime”, which appears to be a reference to theApple Intelligencetoolset that will feature heavily in the company’s newest products andoperating systems.
In addition to the iPhone 16 and A18 Pro, Apple could also announce theAirPods 4,Apple Watch 10, and updates toiOS 18,iPadOS 18,watchOS 11,macOS Sequoia, andtvOS 18at Monday’s event. To watch along yourself, check out ourhow to watch the iPhone 16 launch liveexplainer.
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A18 Pro: leaks and rumors
Apple Intelligencewas announced atWWDC 2024back in June, so we already know what sort ofApple Intelligence featuresto expect come September 9. Tools like thenew-and-improved Siri, theClean Upediting feature, and automatic text summarization will all require quite a bit of power to function, and that means Apple’s new devices need a powerful chipset to take advantage of this new technology.
So, the A18 Pro is going to be blazing fast, right? Maybe. In past years, it’s been pretty much a given that the flagship iPhone will have a more powerful chipset than the equivalent Android phone, but we’re not sure that’ll be the case this year. According to tipster Nguyen Phi Hung onX(viaPhone Arena), theA18 Pro may offer just a 10% increase in speed over the current A17 Pro, which sounds like a surprisingly small increase given how heavily Apple Intelligence will surely feature in the new iPhone lineup. That said, this is still just a rumor, after all.
Keep in mind, too, that the A17 Pro chipset is no slouch. Apple has already confirmed that the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max will be able to run Apple Intelligence features (or at least some of them), so the A18 Pro may not need to be all that much more powerful. Specifically, the A17 Pro is a 3-nanometer chipset that boasts a 16-core Neural Engine and a 6-core GPU that supports ray tracing, maximizing performance for mobile games such asResident Evil Village,Resident Evil 4, andDeath Stranding.
The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus, by contrast, have the A16 Bionic chip with only 6GB of memory, meaning they’re definitelynot powerful enough to run Apple Intelligence features. The good news: rumors suggest thatthe entire iPhone 16 lineup, including the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus, could be getting the A18 Pro chipset.
We’ve also been hearing thatthe A18 Pro might have a lot more cores in its Neural Engine. Noted on Taiwanese siteEconomic Daily News(via9to5Mac), the Neural Engine in Apple’s next best chipset will have “significantly” more cores than the Neural Engine in the A17 Pro. This is promising news, since the Neural Engine is the part of Apple’s chipsets that specifically power artificial intelligence. It makes sense, then, that the A18 Pro chipset would see an increase in Neural Engine cores to power those aforementioned power-hungry Apple Intelligence features.
With regards to theA18 Pro being designed with AI in mind, we’ve also heard from leaker Jeff Pu at Haiton International Tech Research (via9to5Mac) that the A18 Pro “will feature a larger die area (compared to A17 Pro), which could be a trend for edge AI computing.”
What is edge AI? This refers to the ability to carry out AI tasks on the phone itself rather than in the cloud. Edge AI is important because it can be faster and it works without an internet connection. But there are downsides, too. Increasing the die area of a chipset to achieve those improved speeds can decrease its ability to dissipate heat. It can also decrease energy efficiency.
So, with the A18 Pro, Apple will need to maximize speed and power without compromising on heat dissipation and energy efficiency. In any case, we’ll likely learn all about it at the company’s “It’s Glowtime” event, which is just around the corner.
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Karen is a world traveler, writer, teacher, family woman, and occasionally a movie extra. She has been writing about Apple, consumer tech, and lifestyle products since 2010 for various publications including TechRadar, CNET, Tom’s Guide, iMore, Macworld, AppAdvice, and WatchAware.
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