The iPhone 16 Pro launch is just a few days away: what to expect from the new A18 Pro chipsets

To understand the performance of the upcoming A18 Pro chipset, which will likely be used in the iPhone 16 Pro models, let's look at the expected advancements in the processor of the new generation Pro models.

Rumors about the A18 Pro chip

Initial reports suggest that the upcoming A18 Pro chipset will be blazing fast and potentially more powerful than last year's A17 Pro chipset. For reference, the A17 Pro chip was manufactured using a 4nm process and offers a 16-core Neural Engine and a 6-core GPU. The chipset can also support Apple Intelligence, the company's AI-powered features. Now, for the iPhone 16 Pro, informant Nguyen Phi Hung (via PhoneArena) reported that the A18 Pro chipset would be only 10% faster than that of the iPhone 15 Pro. Therefore, no significant improvements are expected in the performance of the upcoming iPhone 16 Pro model.

While performance won't be impacted much, the A18 Pro is expected to offer “significantly” more cores in the Neural Engine. The Neural Engine gives chipsets the ability to effectively perform AI-powered functions, allowing the iPhone 16 Pro models to better handle AI-related tasks. Another source named Jeff Pu of Haiton International Tech Research reported that the upcoming chipset could offer a “larger chip area to support edge AI computing.” Therefore, the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will be able to support on-device AI capabilities, allowing users to enjoy advanced features without an internet connection.

However, with the greater functionality, the company may have to compromise on other features like the power efficiency and thermal management capabilities of the device. Therefore, the upcoming iPhone 16 Pro models with A18 Pro processor may not be as efficient as we think in terms of performance and may offer similar performance as its predecessor, apart from enhanced AI features.

To confirm what's coming, we'll have to wait until September 9 to learn more about the new iPhone 16 series and the new A18 series chipset.