Since the iPhone 14, Apple has been separating the wheat from the chaff for its standard and Pro models: only the top versions receive the current SoC. In the iPhone 15, only the Pro and Pro Max models have an A17 chip built into the 3 nm process; the 15 and 15 Plus have the A16 from 2022. This approach, which annoys some customers, may change in the future next year. According to leaks from an early version of iOS 18 reported by MacRumors All four planned iPhone 16 models have the same SoC exhibit.
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Apple A18 for everyone?
The code numbers D47, D48, D93 and D94 stand for iPhone 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max – there is apparently no Ultra model. All devices use a new SoC called T8140 aka Tahiti, as Apple calls the A18 internally. It is listed in the code for both the standard models (D4y) and the Pro variants (D9x). However, Apple’s switch to a SoC series does not mean that the processors are all equally fast. Instead, Apple is probably going to work with an A18 and an A18 Pro variant.
The SoC is based on the same technical basis and the same structure width, but the Pro version has a higher clock frequency, possibly more CPU cores and probably more GPUs. Apple also works similarly with the Mac, where the M3 is currently available as M3, M3 Pro and M3 Max. Rumors of this kind have been around since autumn. The criticism that you get “last year’s chip” with the standard iPhone models would no longer apply.
More details from the leak
In addition to the A18 chip, according to MacRumors, the operating system also contains references to a new Broadcom Wi-Fi and Bluetooth module, which is apparently planned for the entire iPhone 16 series, but details beyond that are missing. Apple has actually been working on developing its own wireless components for a long time, but that will probably take a while.
Information about further innovations in iOS 18 is still pending. It is already known that Apple wants to incorporate generative AI into its system. For example, the language assistant Siri could learn significantly. Compared to the possibilities of ChatGPT, it now seems extremely old-fashioned. However, Apple is proceeding very carefully here.
(bsc)