- IPHONE 18 Telephones inclined to use A20 chips
- Those CPU could be based on an improved 2 nm process
- Means faster and more efficient chips
Although the iPhone 18 series will not be launched for another year and a half, we have already heard several predictions about it, and the last suggests that the four models in the range will obtain a substantial performance update.
This comes from the respected Apple Ming-Chi Kuo analyst, who has reiterated a prediction he did six months ago: that the A20 chips sets destined for the iPhone 18 phones will use a 2 nanometers production process.
Current iPhone 16 devices use A18 processors made with 3NM technology. A 3NM to 2NM switch essentially means that more transistors can be packaged inside a processor, which makes it faster and more efficient.
The iPhones become faster every year, of course, but a change in the manufacturing process such as this means significant performance gains, beyond the usual increases. It should mean that the iPhone 18 can offer next level processing power.
Still to a path
Reiterating my prediction six months ago: the new 2H26 iPhones (iPhone 18) will be fed by 2nm TSMC chips. Noting, the 2NM R&D test yields of TSMC reached 60-70% three months ago, and now they are well above that. https://t.co/zowxfqfunsMarch 22, 2025
There is an ambiguity around whether the chips for each iPhone 18 model will obtain this 2 Nm update. Kuo now seems more optimistic about this than in September, but it can be an update only for Pro and Pro Max models.
This follows the reports earlier this week of another industry analyst, Jeff Pu, of GF Securities. PU initially suggested that A20 chips would be based on a 3 Nm process, before reviewing their prediction to say that 2NM A20 Silicon was a possibility.
It would be well that even Apple and its partners of the supply chain are not yet sure. The phones of the iPhone 18 will not see the light of day until September 2026, so there is still a lot of time for the manufacturing processes to refine.
Meanwhile, we have to wait for the iPhone 17 series, which must be presented in September 2025. These phones should obtain updates to the A19 processors, but will be built using the existing 3NM process technology.
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