● Covered by 3 sources · 6 reportsLow impact6 neutral
Leaked diagrams suggest iPhone 18 Pro chip may feature 7 GPU cores and faster RAM
Key points
- iPhone 18 Pro's A20 Pro chip may have 7 GPU cores.
- The chip is also expected to feature faster RAM.
- L2 cache for efficiency CPU cores may increase to 8 MB.
- Information is based on leaked circuit diagrams, not the chip itself.
- A20 Pro is Apple's first 2-nanometer smartphone chip.
- A20 Pro powers iPhone Duo, iPhone 18 Pro, and Pro Max models.
- Apple debuted the A20 Pro and C2 modem at an iPhone event.
- John Ternus led the iPhone event.
- A20 Pro has a 6-core CPU with two super-cores and four efficiency cores.
- Super-cores are 20% faster than the last generation.
- A20 Pro GPU has a 40% boost gen-over-gen.
- A20 Pro GPU has new neural accelerators for twice faster FP8 compute.
- A20 Pro has two neural engines with a combined 32 total cores.
- A20 Pro has a 50% increase in memory bandwidth.
- A20 Pro has the widest memory interface in an iPhone.
- A20 Pro is built on 2nm technology with smaller, denser transistors.
- iPhone 18 Pro has variable camera aperture.
- iPhone 18 Pro camera features give users more direct control over image settings.
- Apple discussed Apple Intelligence and new Siri AI capabilities.
- A20 Pro chip appeared in a leaked Geekbench 6 benchmark.
- A20 Pro achieved a 4,719 single-core score in Geekbench 6.
- A20 Pro achieved a 12,677 multi-core score in Geekbench 6.
- A20 Pro is around 25% faster than its predecessor in leaked benchmark.
- A20 Pro CPU hits nearly 5 GHz clocks.
- A20 Pro achieved 4,006 single-thread points in Geekbench 7.
- A20 Pro achieved 11,460 multi-thread points in Geekbench 7.
- A20 Pro's single-thread performance is 23.3% higher than A19 Pro.
- A20 Pro's multi-thread performance is 27.1% higher than A19 Pro.
- A20 Pro beats desktop Intel Core i9 and AMD Ryzen 9 by up to 32% in Geekbench 7 single-thread.
Potential A20 Pro Chip Specifications
Circuit diagrams, reportedly for the iPhone 18 Pro, suggest the A20 Pro chip may incorporate seven GPU cores, an increase of one core compared to its predecessor. The diagrams also point to a faster memory interface for the new chip.
CPU Core Configuration and Cache Improvements
The leaked diagrams indicate that the A20 Pro chip will retain a six-core CPU configuration, consisting of two high-performance cores and four efficiency cores. However, the L2 cache for the efficiency cores is expected to increase from 6 MB to 8 MB, while the L2 cache for the high-performance cores will remain at 16 MB.
Inference from Solder Diagrams
The information is derived from images of circuit board diagrams, not the A20 Pro chip itself. Analysts inferred the chip's architecture and power based on the layout and solder-ball positions, concluding that a seven-core GPU configuration is the most plausible arrangement among several possibilities.
Performance Expectations
Previous reports from Fixed Focus Digital suggested the A20 Pro chip could be 18% faster than its predecessor and offer 30% better power efficiency. These figures, combined with the new structural inferences, paint a picture of potential performance gains.
Credibility and Caveats
While the leaker has a track record, the conclusions drawn from indirect inferences of solder diagrams are considered informed guesses. The information should be viewed as plausible but not definitive, given the nature of the source material.
Updates
- A20 Pro achieved 4,006 single-thread points in Geekbench 7.
- A20 Pro achieved 11,460 multi-thread points in Geekbench 7.
- A20 Pro's single-thread performance is 23.3% higher than A19 Pro.
- A20 Pro's multi-thread performance is 27.1% higher than A19 Pro.
- A20 Pro beats desktop Intel Core i9 and AMD Ryzen 9 by up to 32% in Geekbench 7 single-thread.
- A20 Pro chip appeared in a leaked Geekbench 6 benchmark.
- A20 Pro achieved a 4,719 single-core score in Geekbench 6.
- A20 Pro achieved a 12,677 multi-core score in Geekbench 6.
- A20 Pro is around 25% faster than its predecessor in leaked benchmark.
- A20 Pro CPU hits nearly 5 GHz clocks.
- iPhone 18 Pro has variable camera aperture.
- iPhone 18 Pro camera features give users more direct control over image settings.
- Apple discussed Apple Intelligence and new Siri AI capabilities.
- A20 Pro is Apple's first 2-nanometer smartphone chip.
- A20 Pro powers iPhone Duo, iPhone 18 Pro, and Pro Max models.
- Apple debuted the A20 Pro and C2 modem at an iPhone event.
- John Ternus led the iPhone event.
- A20 Pro has a 6-core CPU with two super-cores and four efficiency cores.
- Super-cores are 20% faster than the last generation.
- A20 Pro GPU has a 40% boost gen-over-gen.
- A20 Pro GPU has new neural accelerators for twice faster FP8 compute.
- A20 Pro has two neural engines with a combined 32 total cores.
- A20 Pro has a 50% increase in memory bandwidth.
- A20 Pro has the widest memory interface in an iPhone.
- A20 Pro is built on 2nm technology with smaller, denser transistors.
✨ This summary was generated by AI from the outlets' reporting listed below. It is not independently verified and may contain errors — check the original sources. How BrevFeed works →
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How outlets covered it
Apple's new A20 Pro application processor achieved the highest single-thread performance in Geekbench 7, surpassing desktop Intel Core i9 and AMD Ryzen 9 CPUs by up to 32%. This marks a significant generation-over-generation performance increase for Apple's mobile chips and establishes it as the leading mobile AP.
The new Apple A20 Pro system-on-a-chip, featured in the iPhone Duo and iPhone 18 Pro, has appeared in a leaked Geekbench 6 benchmark, showing a 25% performance increase over the A19 Pro. This initial third-party data suggests the chip's performance might exceed Apple's official 20% improvement claim, indicating a notable generational leap for Apple's mobile processors.
Apple has released the iPhone 18 Pro, featuring the new A20 Pro chip, which is the first 2 nm chip for iPhone, and new camera capabilities that offer users more direct control over image settings. This update focuses on performance improvements and advanced camera features, alongside discussions of Apple Intelligence and new Siri AI capabilities.
Apple announced the A20 Pro chip, built on 2nm technology, featuring significant CPU, GPU, and AI upgrades for the iPhone Duo, iPhone 18 Pro, and iPhone 18 Pro Max. This new chip includes a redesigned architecture with increased memory bandwidth and an improved thermal design, enabling enhanced performance for mobile devices.
Apple introduced the A20 Pro, its first 2-nanometer smartphone chip, and the new C2 in-house modem, which will power the new iPhone Duo, iPhone 18 Pro, and Pro Max models. This release marks a significant upgrade in processing power, graphical performance, and cellular connectivity for Apple's flagship smartphones, impacting mobile device capabilities and potentially influencing the broader semiconductor industry's adoption of advanced manufacturing nodes.
Leaked circuit diagrams for the upcoming iPhone 18 Pro suggest the A20 Pro chip could include seven GPU cores and a faster memory interface. These inferences, based on solder diagrams, also indicate an increased L2 cache for the efficiency cores.