Highlights
- Both the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro will feature Apple’s latest A18 series processors.
- The iPhone 16 Pro is likely to have 2 high-frequency cores, 4 midrange cores, and a 6-core GPU.
- The standard iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus are rumoured to come with 5 GPU cores and a smaller cache size.
We finally have a date for the iPhone 16.
Apple in an extremely surprising manner announced September 9 as the date for the next Apple event.
It was surprising because none of the date rumours doing rounds in the tech community eventually turned out to be true.
Now with a confirmed date, speculations about what’s in store are going on overdrive.
The recent conjecture is about iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro processor variations.
The last released iPhone 15 series had processor power variations.
On one hand, we had the iPhone 15 with iPhone 14 Pro processor and on the other hand, iPhone 15 Pro features a faster Apple A17 Pro chip.
Rumours until now suggested that Apple this year won’t follow a similar strategy of different processors in different iPhones. Instead, the iPhone 16 series will get an A-series chipset.
iPhone 16 and the iPhone 16 Pro were speculated to be equipped with Apple’s latest A18 series of processors made on TSMC’s next-gen 3nm process
This made sense because with Apple Intelligence coming into the picture, Apple is surely setting the stage for a big software overhaul.
In what would be Apple’s biggest software upgrade in over a decade, the upcoming A18 series will have a significant effect on not only new iPhones but also the old ones.
The upcoming A18 series includes stronger AI capabilities, thanks to the growing demand for advanced machine learning features in smartphones.
Moreover, to maintain its focus on user privacy and security, Apple plans to enhance the A18 chip to handle more AI tasks directly on the device.
This will reduce the usage of external servers and eventually ensure better user privacy.
However, more recent leaks now suggest that Apple may still differentiate the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro in terms of processing power.
According to reliable tipster Digital Chat Station on Weibo, the iPhone 16 Pro will have a more powerful configuration, featuring 2 high-frequency cores, 4 midrange cores, and a 6-core GPU.
Whereas, the standard iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus will come with 5 GPU cores and a smaller cache size.
Apple A18 Processor Specs (Expected)
- 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
In addition to this, Apple is reportedly also developing its own larger language model for machine learning.
Named Ajax, the language model will be integrated into iOS 18.
This new AI feature will benefit from the A18’s processing capabilities, making it a standout feature in the upcoming iPhone 16 series.
iPhone 16 Vs iPhone 16 Pro – Other Expected Differences
| iPhone 16 | iPhone 16 Pro |
| Smaller, 6.1-inch form factor | Slightly larger, 6.3-inch size |
| Made of aluminium and matte glass | Made of titanium and matte glass |
| Weight of around 170g | Slightly heavier at 194 grams |
| Same Action Button, Camera Button | Action Button, Camera Button |
| 60Hz refresh rate | 120Hz ProMotion |
| A18 chip | A18 Pro chipset |
| 8GB RAM | 8GB RAM |
| 128GB, 256GB, 512GB storage options | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB AND 1TB storage options |
| No telephoto camera | 5X zoom telephoto camera |
| 12MP ultra-wide camera | New 48MP ultra-wide camera |
| 48MP main camera with slightly different specs | 48MP main camera |
| Larger 3,561mAh battery | Slightly smaller 3,355mAh battery |
| Possibly slower charging 20W wired, 15W wireless | Possibly faster charging 40W wired, 20W wireless |
As for pricing, there has been no official update from Apple as of yet.
Rumours, however, suggest that it is highly likely that Apple will stick to a similar pricing strategy as its previous iPhones.
The brand could keep the $800 (₹67,000) price for the iPhone 16 and $1,000 (₹84,000) for the iPhone 16 Pro.
Another scenario could be that Apple increase the price of all iPhone models launching soon.
FAQs
Q1. What processors will the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro feature?
Answer. Both the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro will be equipped with Apple’s latest A18 series processors, manufactured using TSMC’s next-gen 3nm process.
However, the iPhone 16 Pro will have a more powerful configuration, including 2 high-frequency cores, 4 midrange cores, and a 6-core GPU.
The standard iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus will come with 5 GPU cores and a smaller cache size.
Q2. How will the A18 series impact software capabilities?
Answer. The A18 series aims to enhance AI capabilities, catering to the growing demand for advanced machine-learning features in smartphones.
Q3. Is there any additional AI feature coming to the iPhone 16 series?
Answer. Yes, Apple is developing its own larger language model for machine learning, called “Ajax.” This language model will be integrated into iOS 18.
Leveraging the A18’s processing capabilities, Ajax will be a standout feature in the upcoming iPhone 16 series.
Q4. Is iPhone 15 processor different from iPhone 15 Pro?
Answer. The last released iPhone 15 series had processor power variations.
On one hand, we had the iPhone 15 with iPhone 14 Pro processor and on the other hand, iPhone 15 Pro features a faster Apple A17 Pro chip.
Q5. How will the A18 chip ensure user privacy?
Answer. Apple plans to handle more AI tasks directly on the device, prioritizing user privacy and reducing reliance on external servers.
This software upgrade will likely have a significant effect not only on new iPhones but also on older models.
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