All iPhone 16 Models Launching Next Year Will Feature Apple’s A18 SoC, According To Leaked Code in iOS 18
21.12.2023 - 04:57
/ wccftech.com
/ Ios
/ Will
Apple introduced its 3nm A17 Pro SoC to the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, which is the first time the company moved away from the ‘Bionic’ moniker. The regular iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus were treated to the older A16 Bionic, but next year, things might be a whole lot different, according to references found in leaked iOS 18 code. Apparently, all iPhone 16 models launching next year will feature Apple’s latest and greatest A18 chipset. Then again, to help differentiate between the ‘Pro’ and non-Pro versions, Apple could attach a new moniker to the A18.
As reported by MacRumors, the iOS 18 update has been codenamed ‘Crystal’ and contains references to four unreleased iPhone models. All iPhone 16 models are separated by a unique identifier mentioning the following devices.
As you would have guessed, no ‘Ultra’ variant is present in next year’s lineup, suggesting that Apple is not ready to introduce a new naming scheme to its iPhone family yet. The leaked code also indicates that the entire iPhone 16 range will sport a new SoC featuring the designation number t8140 and codenamed ‘Tahiti.’ Going by chronological naming schemes, this would be the A18, and going by the current evidence, it shows that Apple will be treating all handsets to the same silicon.
However, additional information reveals that there might be two A18 variants found in the ‘Pro’ and non-Pro versions. For the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus, the custom SoC is collectively known as as ‘D4y’ within Apple, whereas for the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max, it is referred to as ‘D9x’ internally. It is unlikely that the technology giant will utilize the same technology in all four models while stamping varying price tags on them, as that is a terrible business strategy and will remove the incentive for consumers to purchase the more expensive versions.
Instead, it is likely that the A18 is just a re-branded version of the A17 Pro and is found in the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus, while the better performing SoC is called the ‘A18 Pro.’ As for the manufacturing process, Apple may switch to TSMC’s ‘N3E’ node, which supposedly has higher yields and a more affordable price-per-wafer compared to the N3B technology, making it the more sensible choice. As for other information, such as CPU and GPU core count, we do not have those details as yet, and given that 2023 is yet to end, we do not expect such rumors to come forth until the start of 2024, so as always, we will update our readers in the future.