Apple will reportedly launch its next-generation smartphones next month. The company is expected to first unveil three handsets, namely iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and the iPhone Ultra, to foray into the foldable handset category for the first time, while the standard model could arrive early next year. The three flagship smartphones will reportedly be powered by the Apple Silicon A20 Pro chipset. Weeks before its launch, new details regarding the unreleased SoC have surfaced online. Apple’s A20 Pro chipset is said to be the first to be built using TSMC’s 2nm process, while also offering performance and efficiency improvements.
iPhone 18 Pro Series Tipped to Offer Significant Performance Improvements
Citing supply chain sources, tipster “Fixed-focus digital cameras” (translated from Chinese) has shared new details in a post on Weibo regarding the next-generation Apple Silicon chipset, which is expected to power the upcoming iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and iPhone Ultra, the company’s first book-style foldable. The leaker claims that the Cupertino-based tech giant’s unreleased A20 Pro chipset will be the first SoC to be fabricated using TSMC’s 2nm process.
On top of this, the leaker claims that the iPhone 18 Pro’s A20 Pro chipset will deliver significantly better performance than last year’s A19 Pro SoC, which powers the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. According to the tipster, the chipset will provide an 18 percent performance enhancement, along with a power consumption reduction of about 30 percent. However, this is said to increase the procurement costs for the company “significantly”.
While Apple is expected to pay more for its new A20 Pro chipset, it might be able to save some manufacturing costs on another front. Recently, a report highlighted that the tech giant has managed to renegotiate the terms of deals with LG and Samsung to acquire their OLED panels at a lower price for its iPhone 18 Pro series. For reference, it is expected to pay the two suppliers about $68 (roughly Rs. 6,500) for each OLED panel, which is said to be notably lower than what it paid for the iPhone 17 Pro Max’s OLED panel.
Expected to debut early next month, the iPhone 18 Pro Max and iPhone 18 Pro are said to be Apple’s most expensive non-folding smartphones yet. The company CEO has already hinted at an “unavoidable” price hike, which is said to affect old and new iPhone models. More details are expected to be revealed in the coming weeks.
