iPhone 16 Pro Models Tipped to Offer On-Device AI Performance With A18 Pro Chipset

Apple is reportedly ramping up chip production earlier than usual this year.

Written by Nithya P Nair, Edited by Siddharth Suvarna | Updated: 25 March 2024 10:52 IST

iPhone 16 Pro Models Tipped to Offer On-Device AI Performance With A18 Pro Chipset

Photo Credit: Apple

Apple’s A18 Pro is said to feature a larger die area compared to A17 Pro

Highlights

Apple aims to strengthen the AI prowess of A18 Pro chip
It could offer a larger die area compared to its predecessor
Apple has used an older A16 chip on the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus

iPhone 15 series was launched only about seven months ago, but, the iPhone 16 series is already among the most anticipated phones of 2024. The lineup is said to include four models — iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max. Early reports suggest that the Cupertino-based tech giant is preparing an A18 Pro processor for the upcoming iPhone lineup with a key focus on artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. Apple used an older A16 chip on the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus models and an all-new A17 Pro chip on the Pro models.

As reported by 9to5Mac, Jeff Pu of Haitong International Tech Research revealed details about the A18 Pro processor in his research note. According to the analyst, Apple is planning changes to the A18 Pro chip for on-device artificial intelligence. The company is ramping up chip production earlier than usual.

"According to our supply chain checks, we are seeing growing demand for Apple's A18, while its A17 Pro volume has stabilised since February. We note Apple's A18 Pro, the 6-GPU version, will feature a larger die area (compared to A17 Pro), which could be a trend for edge AI computing", Pu wrote in his note. The larger die area indicates that the chip will be able to accommodate more transistors and specialised components. This would make ground for more on-device AI capabilities in the iPhone 16 Pro lineup.

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Increasing the die area in a chip is said to increase the risks of defects and design flaws. It could also affect energy efficiency and heat dissipation.

Apple is reportedly anticipated to take a split approach to its AI features this year. It could rely on cloud infrastructure in partnership with Google for some AI features while running other features completely on the device.

The iPhone 16 lineup is expected to debut in the second half of this year with major changes and upgrades. The standard iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus are expected to feature the A18 SoC while the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max could get an A18 Pro chip. The A18 Pro recently surfaced on Geekbench 6 with 3,500 points on the single-core test and 8,200 on the multi-core test.

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Apple iPhone 15

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Big upgrades over the 14
Excellent ergonomics, build quality
Very good all-round performance
Apple ecosystem benefits

Bad
Relatively slow charging
Expensive
Still a 60Hz display

Read detailed Apple iPhone 15 review

Display 6.10-inch

Processor Apple A16 Bionic

Front Camera 12-megapixel

Rear Camera 48-megapixel + 12-megapixel

RAM 6GB

Storage 128GB, 256GB, 512GB

OS iOS 17

Resolution 1179x2556 pixels

More Apple mobiles Apple mobiles price in India

Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Excellent display
USB Type-C
AAA gaming
Excellent all-round performance
Good primary and telephoto camera
Customisable Action Button

Bad
Gets hot quickly when stressed
Slow wired charging
Expensive

Read detailed Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max review

Display 6.70-inch

Processor Apple A17 Pro

Front Camera 12-megapixel

Rear Camera 48-megapixel + 12-megapixel + 12-megapixel

RAM 8GB

Storage 256GB, 512GB, 1TB

OS iOS 17

Resolution 1290x2796 pixels

More Apple mobiles Apple mobiles price in India

Apple iPhone 15 Pro

KEY SPECS
NEWS

Display 6.10-inch

Processor Apple A17 Pro

Front Camera 12-megapixel

Rear Camera 48-megapixel + 12-megapixel + 12-megapixel

RAM 8GB

Storage 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB

OS iOS 17

Resolution 1179x2556 pixels

More Apple mobiles Apple mobiles price in India

Apple iPhone 15 Plus

KEY SPECS
NEWS

Display 6.70-inch

Processor Apple A16 Bionic

Front Camera 12-megapixel

Rear Camera 48-megapixel + 12-megapixel

RAM 8GB

Storage 128GB, 256GB, 512GB

OS iOS 17

Resolution 1290x2796 pixels

More Apple mobiles Apple mobiles price in India

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Further reading: iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Series, iPhone 16 Pro Max, Jeff Pu, A17 Pro, A18 Pro, A18

Nithya P Nair

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Nithya P Nair is a journalist with more than five years of experience in digital journalism. She specialises in business and technology beats. A foodie at heart, Nithya loves exploring new places (read cuisines) and sneaking in Malayalam movie dialogues to spice up conversations. More