Apple says new A20 Pro chip can sustain twice the performance of the iPhone 16 Pro, deliver 40% faster graphics

Apple has unveiled its latest A20 Pro chip, set to power the upcoming iPhone 18 Pro lineup. This new chip is built using a 2nm process, marking Apple's first use of this advanced manufacturing technique. The A20 Pro boasts a six-core CPU featuring two high-performance super cores and four efficiency cores, which Apple claims are up to 20% faster than the A19 Pro's performance cores. The processor also includes neural accelerators on all six CPU cores, enhancing its AI capabilities.

The graphics performance has been significantly improved with a redesigned seven-core GPU that delivers up to 40% faster graphics than its predecessor. The GPU's neural accelerators provide twice the FP8 performance, making it more efficient for AI inference tasks. The A20 Pro also features two Neural Engine units with 32 cores combined, offering twice the compute power of its predecessor and supporting 8-bit floating-point math.

Apple has made a fundamental change to the chip's physical design, moving from InFO_PoP packaging to wafer-level multi-chip module (WMCM) packaging. This new arrangement places memory beside the processor, taking it out of the chip's thermal path and allowing direct connection to the phone's vapor chamber. This design, inspired by Apple's M-series chips, aims to prevent heat from reducing performance during intensive tasks.

The revised cooling system in the iPhone 18 Pro has three times the surface area of its predecessor, made with more graphite and copper, and 80% recycled stainless steel. Apple claims the iPhone 18 Pro can deliver up to 40% more sustained performance compared to the iPhone 17 Pro and twice the sustained performance of the iPhone 16 Pro. Specific clock speeds, cache details, and other low-level A20 Pro data were not disclosed during the launch.