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Apple iPhone 16 vs iPhone 16 Pro processor differences revealed

By Daniel Petrov

Published: Aug 27, 2024, 7:58 AM

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Apple Processors

Apple iPhone 16 vs iPhone 16 Pro processor differences revealed

Unlike its last few processing power fragmentation examples, Apple is going to use a new A-series chipset generation for the iPhone 16 series. The iPhone 15, for example, is powered by the iPhone 14 Pro processor, while the iPhone 15 Pro got a faster Apple A17 Pro chipset.

Both the iPhone 16 and the iPhone 16 Pro, however, will be powered by Apple's latest A18 series of processors made on TSMC's next-gen 3nm process. That is because Apple is gearing up for one of its biggest software shakeups in a decade that will also affect the features of its future processors in the upcoming A18 series.

The sudden burst of AI-everything in phones by the competition are forcing it to catch up and introduce even more powerful machine learning coprocessor in the Apple A18 chipset. Also, if Apple wants to keep its renowned focus on user privacy and security, it will have to do the bulk of processing for basic AI tasks on the iPhone itself, so the A18 chip will have to take that into its new features equation as well.

While Apple is accounting for all that, it may still segregate the iPhone 16 and the iPhone 16 Pro by processing power, just within the realms of the new Apple A18 envelope. According to a credible tipster, the iPhone 16 will have the weaker chipset, after all.

While the iPhone 16 Pro will be powered by a configuration of 2 high-frequency cores (with probably up to 4.05 GHz peak speeds) and 4 midrange cores, its graphics subsystem will ride on no less than 6 GPU cores. The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus, on the other hand, will have 5 GPU cores and reduced cache size when stacked up to the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max.

Apple A18 processor specs to expect

2 x 4.05 GHz performance + 4 efficiency cores
6-core GPU (pentacore for the iPhone 16)
TSMC 3nm N3P production process (N3E for the iPhone 16)

Apple A18 vs A17 speed and benchmark performance

5% faster CPU
30% faster graphics
10% reduction in power draw
8571 vs 7288 Geekbench score

Apple is reportedly working on its own Larger Language Model of machine learning called Ajax for iOS 18, which will be uses for on-device AI processing. That homebrew solution bodes well for the Apple A18 series AI processing chops, which should be the big new feature when the A18 is released together with the iPhone 16 on September 10.

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Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena since 2010, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.