Leaked A20 Pro Image Hints at iPhone 18 Pro Performance Gains

[MacRumors]

An alleged image of the iPhone 18 Pro motherboard has leaked online, showing the A20 Pro chip will use a new packaging technology that should offer notable performance gains over the previous model.

The leaked image, which has been shared by the accounts "WHYLAB" and "Ice Universe" on Weibo, appears to show the A20 Pro chip integrated into TSMC's new packaging architecture, known as Wafer-Level Multi-Chip Module (WMCM) technology.

Traditionally, Apple has used package-on-package (PoP) designs, where the DRAM sits directly on top of the application processor. The advantages of this method are lower power consumption and reduced latency, but it also makes heat concentrated in the packaging area.

In the leaked WMCM implementation, by contrast, the DRAM has been moved to the side of the package, which should reduce thermal coupling between the processor and DRAM while improving heat dissipation during sustained workloads. Apple's design is also said to be equipped with LPDDR6 memory with a 96-bit memory bus, which should provide more energy-efficient bandwidth.

The chip size is said to be roughly the same as the A19 Pro, but the Neural Processing Unit (NPU) appears to be significantly larger, suggesting that Apple is also aiming to improve AI performance.

The leaked image has not been confirmed as authentic, but the WMCM technology has been repeatedly rumored for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max.

Powered by the A20 Pro chip, the foldable iPhone and iPhone 18 Pro models are also expected to use TSMC's new 2nm process, also known as N2, boasting performance improvements that could be up to 15 percent faster and 30 percent more efficient than A19 chips.

Alleged leaked image of A20 Pro chip​

In addition, N2 introduces new super-high-performance metal-insulator-metal (SHPMIM) capacitors into the chip's power delivery system. These capacitors more than double the capacitance density of the previous generation. Together with the adoption of WMCM, the changes should boost performance globally and improve power stability and energy efficiency.

The Pro and Fold models are expected to share 12GB of RAM, 48-megapixel rear cameras, and Apple's C2 modem. All three models are expected to be released in September this year.

Article Link: Leaked A20 Pro Image Hints at iPhone 18 Pro Performance Gains

 

[abatabia]

That's nice but I think most of us want to know how much more it's going to cost.

 

[McWetty]

Sounds expensive.

 

[EllZ89]

performance gains as well as a massive price increase. those technological enhancements *aren’t going to fund themselves.

 

[BigDO]

Nice. Sounds like the NPU is going to be where the improvements are in the near term. Judging by how useful Siri AI is already, I am all for that.

 

[tridley68]

We should get something for the extra hike in price

 

[dominiongamma]

We should get something for the extra hike in price

512 gb storage should be replacing the 256gb I could get behind to justify the higher cost

 

[963852741]

Anything to make Safari feel snappier.

 

[bigglow]

I hope $AAPL tanks.

 

[chars1ub0w]

If Apple can't secure enough RAM for the A20, these new iPhones will be severely supply-constrained. CXMT can't rescue Apple here as it doesn't make LPDDR6 (yet). Also CXMT's DRAM capacity is all bought up by domestic customers. Plus I read CXMT is only slightly cheaper than the big-3 (Samsung/SK Hynix/Micron). There's no way Apple can have its own DRAM source as the patent base/walls prevent a new competitor from emerging. There will be only Samsung/SK Hynix/Micro/CXMT.

 

[IIGS User]

That's nice but I think most of us want to know how much more it's going to cost.

You know what they say. If you have to ask what the price is.

 

[Warfie]

300€ or 400€ more expensive than the Iphone 17 in Europe and still will not have full functioning AI.
It will be fun to watch sales reports.

 

[brilliantthings]

Each iPhone 18 Pro is rumoured to cost between $50-60 billion

 

[neuropsychguy]

I hope $AAPL tanks.

Why? You don't have any stock, ETFs, mutual funds, or retirement accounts? You want to buy AAPL at a cheaper price?

 

[svish]

Definitely expecting to see the usual yearly performance and speed upgrades. Better thermal management will be good. Think the 18 Pro will cost atleast $100 more.

 

[RoadWarrior56]

Each iPhone 18 Pro is rumoured to cost between $50-60 billion

I think you are grossly exaggerating the future prices of these phones. I only think each phone will cost around $50,000.

 

[snipr125]

Binned version of the A20 Pro will probably go into the next iPad Mini and iPhone Air 2.

 

[t0rqx]

That's nice but I think most of us want to know how much more it's going to cost.

two-fold.

 

[Astuces iOS]

We all know it’s going to be more powerful but more expensive too… no big deal here

 

[Shalev Lazarof]

Apple Silicon is nothing short of incredible, I wish more and more developers would bring the necessary relentless focus and discipline to enhance and create ecosystem wide rich App experiences tailored for each platform in order to really harness that power, but nowadays we have all those crappy cross platform web apps that have nothing to do we all that power under the hood, all those commodity Apps that "works" but deliver crappy experience, not to mention the AI SLOP agentic, vibe coding crappy philosophy, I despise that.

 

[Siliconguy]

That's nice but I think most of us want to know how much more it's going to cost.

If you have to ask you can't afford it.

Even the price of my Motorola G went up $100.

 

[DEMinSoCAL]

If Apple can't secure enough RAM for the A20, these new iPhones will be severely supply-constrained. CXMT can't rescue Apple here as it doesn't make LPDDR6 (yet). Also CXMT's DRAM capacity is all bought up by domestic customers. Plus I read CXMT is only slightly cheaper than the big-3 (Samsung/SK Hynix/Micron). There's no way Apple can have its own DRAM source as the patent base/walls prevent a new competitor from emerging. There will be only Samsung/SK Hynix/Micro/CXMT.

LPDDR6 -- are AI Datacenters using that or are they using LPDDR5 and/or DDR5 like all the consumer systems that have been affected by major price hikes? It could be LPDDR6 isn't constrained because not much competition for it in the AI-sphere.

 

[martin2345uk]

Currently my 17PM stutters on the screen a lot, and it's meant to be "the most power phone apple have ever made", or something.

 

[DEMinSoCAL]

So with this new WMCM technology, doesn't moving the RAM to the side then increase latency compared to when it was put on top the CPU to decrease latency?

 

[DEMinSoCAL]

Currently my 17PM stutters on the screen a lot, and it's meant to be "the most power phone apple have ever made", or something.

My 17PM does that in SOME apps when scrolling, but not all apps so I blame how the app is written and not the phone. It's annoying.