The iPhone 15 series was launched only about seven months ago, but the iPhone 16 series has already become one of the most anticipated phones of 2024. The lineup is said to include four models: iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. Early reports suggest that the Cupertino-based tech giant is preparing the A18 Pro processor for its upcoming iPhone series, with a focus on artificial intelligence (AI) features. Apple uses the older A16 chip on the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus models and the new A17 Pro chip on the Pro models.

as report By 9to5Mac, Jeff Pu of Haitong International Technology Research Center revealed details about the A18 Pro processor in his research report. The analyst said Apple is planning to make changes to the A18 Pro chip to enable on-device artificial intelligence. The company ramped up chip production earlier than usual.

“Based on our supply chain checks, we are seeing growing demand for Apple’s A18, while A17 Pro sales have stabilized since February. We note that Apple’s A18 Pro (6 GPU version) will have a larger chip area ( Compared to A17 Pro) ), this may be a trend in edge AI computing,” Pu wrote in his notes. The larger chip area indicates that the chip will be able to accommodate more transistors and specialized components. This will lay the foundation for more on-device AI features in the iPhone 16 Pro series.

Increasing the die area in a chip is said to increase the risk of defects and design flaws. It may also affect energy efficiency and heat dissipation.

Apple is reportedly expected to take a different approach to its artificial intelligence capabilities this year. It can rely on cloud infrastructure partnered with Google for some AI features while running others entirely on-device.

The iPhone 16 lineup is expected to debut in the second half of this year with major changes and upgrades. The standard iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus are expected to be equipped with the A18 SoC, while the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max are likely to be equipped with the A18 Pro chip. The A18 Pro recently appeared on Geekbench 6, scoring 3,500 points in the single-core test and 8,200 points in the multi-core test.