Next year's iPhones will reportedly feature new chip technology, with a 2nm process and RAM soldered directly to the CPU, GPU, and NPU. These changes are far from trivial for the performance delivered by the mobiles concerned.
Apple is often the first to adopt new chip etching technologies for its iPhones, and its next models should be no exception. The iPhone 18 Pro expected next year is expected to be powered by an A20 SoC manufactured using TSMC's 2nm process, which would be a first.
The information comes from analyst Jeff Pu of GF Securities and was shared by MacRumors. The report also reveals that the chip will be built using a new technology called Wafer-Level Multi-Chip Module (WMCM). This will bring a major change: from now on, the RAM will be integrated on the same component as the CPU, GPU, and NPU, and no longer next to it.
Android lagging behind, but not for long?
This new hardware architecture should allow the Apple A20 to offer even better performance, better controlled thermal management, and lower power consumption (for longer battery life), which the move to finer engraving should also facilitate. Soldering the RAM with the other major elements of the SoC could also help free up space inside the device, which could then be exploited by Apple. This would be particularly useful for the potential iPhone 18 Fold, since Apple is expected to release its first foldable phone in 2026.
If the iPhone 18 Pro will break a record upon its release, Android manufacturers should quickly catch up. Apple is securing first dibs on TSMC's new technologies, but not exclusivity. Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite 3 is also likely to benefit from 3nm manufacturing and WMCM. The first high-end Android smartphones could therefore benefit from these advances a few months after the launch of the iPhone 18 Pro, in late 2026 or early 2027. This includes the future Galaxy S27, if Samsung doesn't return to Exynos in the meantime.
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