Apple's iPhone 15 series launched less than a week ago, but one feature that stuck out is a trend regarding the inclusion of its last couple of processors. The base iPhone 14 featured an A15 Bionic processor, while the Pro models were equipped with an A16. With the launch of the iPhone 15, the base model featured an A16, while the Pros were built with A17 Pro.
It's not hard to follow this trend and come to a conclusion about what the iPhone 16 will look like. We would have expected the base iPhone 16 to come with an A17, while the Pro models would have an A18 Pro. But a leak from Apple analyst Jeff Pu (via MacRumors) suggests that this isn't the case, indicating that the base iPhone 16 models will also feature an A18 processor.
iPhone 16 exclusively running on A18 processors?
While this is a bit of a surprise, it may come down to a simple change in marketing. Apple launched a new series of processors with the iPhone 15 Pro series, introducing the world to its first "Pro" Bionic chip, the A17 Pro.
Beforehand, it would simply repurpose the previous iPhone Pro's chip and use it for the next base model iPhone. Instead of continuing this pattern, this rumor is believable in that it calls for a simple separation between a base processor for base iPhones versus a Pro processor for the Pro iPhones.
It makes sense, is easier to understand, and creates a clear distinction between where each processor belongs. The iPhone 16 will feature an A18, and the iPhone 16 Pros will have an A18 Pro. Whereas now, the iPhone 15 models have an A16, while the iPhone 15 Pros come with an A17 Pro. This new method would be significantly easier to digest.
There's also potential for A18 to be faster than we expect. Considering that no base A17 exists currently, it could just be an attempt at making the naming conventions more understandable, but if A18 does surpass our expectations, it'll be an exciting addition for base iPhone users.
This seems plausible as the rumor suggests that both A18 processors will feature the 3nm architecture of the A17 Pro, meaning every model of iPhone will benefit from the significantly longer battery life. This could be huge for the next standard iPhone and is one of the many reasons why I'm waiting for the iPhone 16 instead.
