Double Apple silicon: The A18 and A18 Pro

Apple recently launched their new iPhone range. We got our hands on the new iPhone 16 and 16 Pro smartphones. We took them apart and had a peak inside. This article only covers the die shots of the SoC’s. A separate article will show the iPhone 16 teardown analysis.

The A18 and A18 Pro chips from Apple are the latest generation of processors introduced in 2024, designed for high-performance in mobile devices and premium products. The A18 is the base version, while the A18 Pro offers enhanced power for top-tier devices like the iPhone Pro models and possibly future iPads or MacBooks. The packaging technique has remained consistent over the years, with TSMC utilizing the InFO-PoP (Integrated Fan-Out Package-on-Package) method. This approach stacks the DRAM package directly on top of the SoC die and incorporates high-density RDL (Redistribution Layers) along with TIV (Through InFO Via) to reduce the overall chip size while ensuring strong thermal and electrical performance. A key advantage of this technique is its flexibility, as the DRAM package can be easily swapped or replaced.

A18 Chip
The A18 chip is built on a more advanced architecture than its predecessors and uses an improved 3-nanometer (nm) manufacturing process (TSMC N3E). It features a 6-core CPU with a balanced architecture of two high-performance cores for demanding tasks and four high-efficiency cores for routine processes, ensuring optimal performance and power efficiency. It includes a 5-core GPU designed to deliver exceptional graphics performance for gaming, augmented reality, and high-resolution tasks while minimizing power consumption. 

Request High Resolution here...

+31537113618

info@chipwise.tech

A18 Pro Chip
The A18 Pro SoC takes performance further with a more advanced configuration. It features a similar 6-core CPU setup—two high-performance cores and four high-efficiency cores—but is optimized for even higher processing speeds, ideal for demanding tasks like video editing and gaming. The GPU in the A18 Pro is notably more powerful, a 6-core design, offering enhanced graphics performance for 3D rendering, augmented reality (AR), and other intensive graphical tasks. The Neural Engine in the A18 Pro also sees a boost, with more cores and higher throughput, allowing it to excel in AI-driven processes like real-time video analysis, complex machine learning tasks, and AR functionalities, making it ideal for power users and creative professionals.

Let’s extract the die and have a closer look…