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A20 and A20 Pro Chips (2nm) Expected to Debut in These iPhone Models

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There will be two versions of the A20 chip for the iPhone 18 series, according to the latest rumor shared on the Chinese social media platform Weibo.

A20-Chip-Feature-2.jpg

Apple is planning both A20 and A20 Pro chips manufactured with TSMC's latest 2nm process, according to a post today from Weibo account Mobile Phone Chip Expert, which has shared some accurate details about Apple's chip plans in the past.

The standard iPhone 18 will be equipped with the A20 chip, while the iPhone 18 Pro models and Apple's long-rumored foldable iPhone will be equipped with an A20 Pro chip, the post said. However, the post did not mention which chip the entry-level iPhone 18e or second-generation iPhone Air would use, should there be such models.

Given there were A18 and A18 Pro chips, as well as A19 and A19 Pro chips, this rumor that Apple is allegedly planning both A20 and A20 Pro chips is not very surprising. But, it still helps to set expectations for the iPhone lineup moving forward.

A20 and A20 Pro chips are expected to be the first iPhone processors manufactured with TSMC's 2nm process, whereas the A17 Pro through A19 Pro chips were all fabricated with TSMC's series of 3nm processes. This would result in greater year-over-year performance improvements and power efficiency gains for iPhones than usual.

According to a previous rumor, at least some A20 chips will have RAM integrated directly onto the same wafer as the CPU, GPU, and Neural Engine, rather than being adjacent to the chip and connected via a silicon interposer. This design change may result in the chips being smaller, and it would likely contribute to improved efficiency.

Apple is expected to split up its iPhone launches starting next year.

The following new iPhone models are expected to be released in September 2026:

  • iPhone 18 Pro
  • iPhone 18 Pro Max
  • iPhone Fold

It is not entirely clear if there will be a second-generation iPhone Air, but if there is, that device would presumably also be released in September 2026.

The following models are expected to follow around March 2027:

  • iPhone 18e
  • iPhone 18
If so, the A20 Pro chip would be announced next year, and the A20 chip would follow in 2027.

Article Link: A20 and A20 Pro Chips (2nm) Expected to Debut in These iPhone Models
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2025/10/23/a20-and-a20-pro-chips-rumor/
New processors are dandy but whatever TSMC giveth, the future OS will taketh away.
This maxim has been true since the advent of personal computing.
The original slogan decades ago was, "What itel giveth, Microsoft taketh away"
i.e. .. faster new processor but slower new OS
 
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This lines up with the rumors of the base iPhone 18 coming in the spring of 2027 and makes sense with the initial production of 2 nm chips being expensive and lower yield. By the time the smaller A20 is in production yields will have improved and costs will have come down. Also means that the iPhone 17 will be the base flagship iPhone for the next 18 months.
 
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I'm not sure why it is a rumour that there would be two versions of the A20 chip when that's what they have been doing now for years now? I feel like that is just what to expect now, and it would be more newsworthy if they opted to just do one chip for the A20 line?
 
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This makes sense as the M6 Macbook Pro with 2nm chip, will likely have higher demand due to the design changes.
 
Why are they not calling this the A27 chip? 🤔

At some point they’re gonna reach the physical limitations of the technology and they won’t be able to advance to a smaller die size. Will the following iterations increase the number?
 
RALentz said:
Skipping the 'iPhone 19' name does no good if the the iPhone 20 still winds up with the A21...

Should just skip 'iPhone 20' as well... *smiles*

-R
Click to expand...
A little surprised that they're not going to the same naming convention as iOS/macOS: use the year. So release iOS & iPhone 26 the same year, then iOS/iPhone 27… 28… 29… and so on.

Regardless, I think I might wait for the 20th anniversary phone, unless that's the iPhone 20?
 
I don't know what this means, but it sounds cool. I asked ChatGPt when we might see sub 2nm. It said A21 or A22 generation.

You heard it here first! :)
 
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wondering what they do with the current 2nm output given that they block purchased capacity. Already produce the 2nm variants for 2026, iterate new versions wasting the capacity?
 
I keep refreshing this page hoping for an article announcing 26.1 or the new HomePod mini and Apple TV and just getting more disappointed that it may not happen this year.
 
Cool, so now my spam calls/emails etc will come in faster. And I'll still be annoyed that my work emails saying I need come in earlier because the client can't plan ahead...
 
MacRumors said:
According to a previous rumor, at least some A20 chips will have RAM integrated directly onto the same wafer as the CPU, GPU, and Neural Engine, rather than being adjacent to the chip and connected via a silicon interposer. This design change may result in the chips being smaller, and it would likely contribute to improved efficiency.
Click to expand...
Will that be the excuse that Tim Cook defenders use to try to justify him continuing his consumer-hostile practice of having soldered RAM instead of user-upgradable non-proprietary RAM in all future 2nm M6 Mac models?
 
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RALentz said:
Skipping the 'iPhone 19' name does no good if the the iPhone 20 still winds up with the A21...

Should just skip 'iPhone 20' as well... *smiles*

-R
Click to expand...
You're forgetting [or seem to forget] that the iPhone X, iPhone 8, and iPhone 8 Plus all use A11 Bionic.
 
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I think this has gone too far. I’d like the next chip to be touted as being LESS efficient, just to really confuse people.

“The new iPhone: 20% less efficient than before, because even chips need to relax and kick back every once in a while. Also, fifty percent more glass. Where’s the phone? That’s right - you’re looking through it!”
 
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