Apple’s iPhone is frequently talked about not only because of its technical features but also because of its price. Although the high price provides a significant profit to the company, it negatively affects sales volumes. That’s why the American technology giant is doing its best to offer a more affordable iPhone to those in need. Apple, which draws attention especially with its SE series, also sells its entry-level models at relatively lower prices. But there is a trade-off.

To keep costs low, Apple is using last year’s processor in its smartphones, starting with the iPhone 14 series, except for Pro models. This caused a noticeable drop in performance and was criticized for not leading to a significant drop in price. Apparently Apple isn’t happy with the outcome either because they’re reportedly reversing the decision. There are rumors that the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus will switch from the A16 to the A18 chip.

There are rumors that the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus will switch from the A16 chip to the A18 chip again

The iPhone 15 series was introduced recently, but expectations for the next models have already begun. Naturally, sources follow this expectation closely. Moreover, the first leaks show that Apple may make a decision that will please its users this time. According to analyst Jeff Pu’s report, the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus are said to switch from A16 to A18 chip. These statements are not new, as there have already been reports of similar incidents.

But hearing the same thing multiple times can be a strong indicator that this could actually happen. In his final note, Pu said “we expect all iPhone 16 models to be equipped with A18” and said that he expects the chips to be produced using chipmaker TSMC’s second-generation “N3E” 3nm process. Pu called the A17 Pro chip in the iPhone 15 Pro models a “transitional design” based on TSMC’s first-generation 3nm “N3B” process. The processors to be used in the iPhone 16 family are as follows:

• iPhone 16: chip A18 (N3E)
• iPhone 16 Plus: chip A18 (N3E)
• iPhone 16 Pro: chip A18 Pro (N3E)
• iPhone 16 Pro Maximum: chip A18 Pro (N3E)

As you probably know, the current lineup includes the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus models equipped with the A16 Bionic chip, while the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max use the A17 Pro. This shows that if the claims are true and there is no unexpected price increase, there may be a serious performance difference between the standard 15 and 16 models.

But this does not mean that Apple will not differentiate its Pro models. Another claim that has been made recently is that the processors of the new phones will be branded A18 and A18 Pro. Only time will tell which statement is true.