iPhone 17 to Reportedly Use Same Chip as iPhone 16; All Models Could Incorporate Metalens Technology

Apple's A18 chip is said to be made using TSMC's second-generation 3nm N3E node.

Written by Nithya P Nair, Edited by Siddharth Suvarna | Updated: 2 June 2025 11:32 IST

iPhone 17 to Reportedly Use Same Chip as iPhone 16; All Models Could Incorporate Metalens Technology

Photo Credit: Apple

Dynamic Island was first introduced with the iPhone 14 Pro models

Highlights

iPhone 17 series could use new metalens technology
iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max could get 12GB RAM
iPhone 17 will reportedly use 8GB of RAM

iPhone 17 lineup is likely to go official in September with four models — iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. While we wait for the official debut, an analyst has suggested that the standard iPhone 17 will feature the same chipset as last year's iPhone 16. Meanwhile, Apple is said to use a new metalens technology in the upcoming iPhone series, and this is expected to significantly reduce the size of the Dynamic Island in all four iPhone models.

iPhone 17 May Retain Last Year's Chip and RAM

MacRumors, quoting a research note by analyst Jeff Pu from equity research firm GF Securities, reports that iPhone 17 will use the same A18 chip as found on the iPhone 16. This chip could be developed with TSMC's second-generation 3nm N3E node. The RAM capacity of the handset will also reportedly remain the same at 8GB.

The iPhone 17 Air is expected to come with an A19 chip, while the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are said to ship with the A19 Pro chip. These chipsets are said to be manufactured with TSMC's third-generation 3nm process, known as N3P. The iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max are tipped to be equipped with 12GB of RAM, up from 8GB in iPhone 16 Pro models.

iPhone 17 Might Offer the Screen Upgrade We’ve Been Waiting For

Jeff Pu, in November last year, claimed that the entire iPhone 17 lineup will run on A19 and A19 Pro SoCs.

Additionally, Pu, in his research note, spotted by 9to5Mac, stated that all models in the iPhone 17 series will use a new metalens technology for the proximity sensor. This technology is said to assist Apple in reducing the size of the Face ID sensor. With this change, the entire iPhone 17 family will reportedly get a smaller Dynamic Island, which is likely to offer an increased screen-to-body ratio.

This iPhone Emerged as the Best-Selling Smartphone in Q1 2025

This indicates a shift from an earlier prediction by the analyst that suggested only the iPhone 17 Pro Max would feature this design change. The Dynamic Island was first introduced with the iPhone 14 Pro models. The pill-shaped cutout houses the Face ID hardware and the selfie camera. It was expanded to all iPhone 15 models in 2023.

iPhone 14 Pro

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Superb display with always-on mode
Excellent overall performance
Good battery life
All cameras take high-quality stills and video
Regular iOS updates for many years

Bad
Extremely expensive
Relatively slow charging and transfer speed
Gets warm under heavy workloads
Limited customisation for Dynamic Island

Read detailed Apple iPhone 14 Pro review

Display 6.10-inch

Processor Apple A16 Bionic

Front Camera 12-megapixel

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

RAM 6GB

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

OS iOS 16

Resolution 1179x2556 pixels

More Apple mobiles Apple mobiles price in India

iPhone 16

KEY SPECS
NEWS

Display 6.10-inch

Processor Apple A18

Front Camera 12-megapixel

Rear Camera 48-megapixel + 12-megapixel

RAM 8GB

Storage 128GB, 256GB, 512GB

OS iOS 18

Resolution 1179x2556 pixels

More Apple mobiles Apple mobiles price in India

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Further reading: iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, iPhone 17 Series, iPhone 16, Apple

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