Apple is gearing up to unveil the iPhone 16 series in September, and rumors suggest that the non-Pro iPhone 16 models will also feature the latest and most advanced A series chip, the Apple A18 Pro.
In the past, Apple began implementing older-generation Bionic chips on non-Pro iPhones starting with the iPhone 14 series. The iPhone 15 series saw the introduction of the 'Pro' branding for the chipset in the Pro models.
A18 Pro Chip in All Models
According to the latest rumor, even the non-Pro iPhones will be equipped with the newest A-series chip, potentially named A18 Pro. This information comes from @Nicolás Alvarez on X, who found pertinent codes within Apple's backend. These codes indicate that all four iPhone 16 models will incorporate the A18 Pro chip.
Impact of Apple Intelligence
The A15 Bionic was previously sufficient to handle the basic functionalities in iOS. However, this is no longer the case. iOS 18 includes Apple Intelligence, necessitating the phone to run certain AI features natively. Though these are deemed basic AI features, the NPUs in older chips lack the capability to execute these tasks efficiently. Consequently, only the Pro models of the iPhone 15 series, equipped with the A17 Pro chip, support Apple Intelligence.
The A18 Pro chip is rumored to have a more advanced NPU compared to last year's A17 Pro, potentially leading to a significant improvement in AI performance. This could mirror what is currently observed with the iPhone 15 series regarding the implementation of Apple Intelligence. This development might be the reason behind Apple's decision to equip all iPhone 16 models with the new chip.
