All iPhone 16 Models to Feature TSMC’s 3nm N3E Chips For Better Yield, A18 For Standard Models While ‘Pro’ Models Get A18 Pro

Apple announced the iPhone 15 Pro model with its brand-new A17 Pro chip that packs enormous power when it comes to computational and graphical performance. Coupled with a new USB-C port, the iPhone 15 Pro is far more capable than Android smartphones considering the number of functions it can perform. The A17 Pro is behind all the new features Apple paired with iOS 17 and the company has already started working on the A18 and A18 Pro chips based on TSMC's 3nm N3E process for the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro models, respectively.

Apple planning to ditch A17 and adopt A18 for standard iPhone 16 models, iPhone 16 Pro models to get A18 Pro chips

According to a new research note, industry analyst Jeff Pu from Haitong International Securities suggests that Apple is working on A18 and A18 Pro chips for the iPhone 16 lineup which will be based on TSMC's N3E process (via MacRumors). Currently, the standard iPhone 16 models are equipped with the A16 Bionic chip while the iPhone 15 Pro models get to experience faster performance with the A17 Pro chip.

If Apple sticks to its trend, the standard iPhone 16 models should feature the A17 chip instead of the A18. The company implemented the change with the launch of the iPhone 14 series where it created a differentiating factor between the standard and the 'Pro' models. If the news has any heft to it, the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus will skip the A17 name for the chip and jump directly to A18. The iPhone 16 Pro models will continue to feature the 'Pro' version of the A18 chip. The company will basically rebrand the A17 chip for a more streamlined approach.

Other than this, Pu notes that the A18 and A18 Pro chips will be based on TSMC's 3nm N3E architecture. If you are not familiar, TSMC's N3E is its second-generation chip based on a 3nm process. In comparison, the A17 Pro is based on the N3B process. The analyst notes that the company's decision to change the nature of the chips is because it has a better yield compared to N3B and costs less.

If the company does go ahead with the reported plans, it remains to be seen if there will be any changes in the performance department. It was recently noted that Apple's new A17 Pro chips are causing heating issues on the iPhone. However, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo stated that the issue is unrelated to the A17 Po chip and rests in the thermal design and titanium build of the device.

Written by Ali Salman