Apple appears to be making some notable changes to the silicon powering its upcoming iPhone 18 Pro models. A newly leaked die shot of the A20 Pro provides a detailed look at the chip’s internal layout, revealing a seven-core GPU, a larger L2 cache for efficiency cores and more.
Pictures posted by user Stir-fried white rice on Weibo offer granular, floorplan-level schematics of the Apple A20 Pro processor, which will be used in the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. It reveals that the processor will boast 7 GPU cores, up from the 6-core setup of the A19 Pro chipset.
The CPU side, however, is less revolutionary, maintaining a 6-core layout comprising two performance cores and four efficiency cores. The cache distribution has also been changed slightly across three separate L2 blocks.
The four efficiency cores now share an upgraded 8 MB L2 cache, gaining a 2 MB bump over last year. However, the two performance cores retain the same 16 MB L2 cache seen in the previous generation.
The leak also proved previous rumours of a major packaging shift. Instead of stacking components, the memory dies are now positioned alongside the processor. Apple is also reportedly sticking to LPDDR5X RAM on a 96-bit interface, skipping the jump to LPDDR6 for now, unlike the Xiaomi 18 Fold with the XRING O3 chipset.
Image Credit: Weibo/ Stri Fried White Rice
Image Credit: Weibo/ Stri Fried white Rice
While the images don't label the NPU or ISP, the noticeable shift in the CPU cluster's location suggests the Neural Processing Unit has been doubled in size, likely to mimic the architecture of the Apple M6 chipset. For those unaware, Apple's M6 chip boasts an extra Neural Engine block for a total of 32 cores instead of 16 on the M5.
All things considered, the changes in core architecture combined with TSMC's latest 2nm process and HPB (Heat Path Block) should mean that the A20 Pro should not only be a tad bit faster in CPU and GPU tasks but also more efficient.
For those who avoid parsing technical details, a recent iPhone 18 Pro SIM tray leak reveals all the potential colours, which include Sky Blue, Cherry Red and Silver.
The iPhone 18 Pro launch is set for September 9, 2026, when Apple is also expected to launch its first foldable, the iPhone Ultra.
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