# Apple A18
The Apple A18 is a 64-bit system-on-a-chip designed by Apple for the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus, announced on September 9, 2024 and built on second-generation 3-nanometer technology.[1](https://www.apple.com/ie/newsroom/2024/09/apple-introduces-iphone-16-iphone-16-plus/) It replaced the A16 Bionic used in the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus, a jump of two chip generations for the standard iPhone line, and it was produced alongside the higher-specification A18 Pro used in the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max.[2](https://www.gsmarena.com/apple_iphone_16-review-2749p4.php) • [3](https://www.macrumors.com/2024/09/10/a18-vs-a18-pro/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Announced | September 9, 2024, in the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus[1](https://www.apple.com/ie/newsroom/2024/09/apple-introduces-iphone-16-iphone-16-plus/) |
| Process | Second-generation 3-nanometer (TSMC N3E), about 21 billion transistors on a 1.05 cm² die[1](https://www.apple.com/ie/newsroom/2024/09/apple-introduces-iphone-16-iphone-16-plus/) • [4](https://www.ieee-edps.com/archives/2025/c/0100groeneveld.pdf) |
| CPU | 6-core, 2 performance cores at 4.04 GHz and 4 efficiency cores at 2.2 GHz; 30% faster than the A16 Bionic[5](https://www.apple.com/de/iphone-16/specs/) • [2](https://www.gsmarena.com/apple_iphone_16-review-2749p4.php) |
| GPU | 5-core with hardware-accelerated ray tracing; up to 40% faster and 35% more efficient than the A16 Bionic[5](https://www.apple.com/de/iphone-16/specs/) • [1](https://www.apple.com/ie/newsroom/2024/09/apple-introduces-iphone-16-iphone-16-plus/) |
| Neural Engine | 16-core; Apple says it is optimized for large generative models, running ML models up to 2x faster than the A16 Bionic[1](https://www.apple.com/ie/newsroom/2024/09/apple-introduces-iphone-16-iphone-16-plus/) |
| Memory | 8 GB RAM; the A18 Pro variant carries 17% more memory bandwidth than the A17 Pro[2](https://www.gsmarena.com/apple_iphone_16-review-2749p4.php) • [3](https://www.macrumors.com/2024/09/10/a18-vs-a18-pro/) |
| Successors | A19 and A19 Pro (iPhone 17 generation, 2025); A20 Pro on 2 nm (iPhone 18 Pro, 2026)[6](https://www.techradar.com/phones/iphone/iphone-18-pro-vs-iphone-17) |
## Design and manufacturing
The A18 is fabricated on TSMC's N3E process, the second-generation 3-nanometer node, with a die area of about 1.05 cm² and roughly 21 billion transistors according to a die-image analysis published in an IEEE proceedings paper.[4](https://www.ieee-edps.com/archives/2025/c/0100groeneveld.pdf) Apple positioned the chip around three uses: graphics-intensive gaming, computational photography, and [Apple Intelligence](https://www.edgepedia.org/apple-intelligence), the company's on-device AI system, which the iPhone 16 lineup was described as built for from the ground up.[1](https://www.apple.com/ie/newsroom/2024/09/apple-introduces-iphone-16-iphone-16-plus/) • [7](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2024/09/apple-intelligence-comes-to-iphone-ipad-and-mac-starting-next-month/)
## CPU and GPU
The 6-core CPU pairs two performance cores, clocked at 4.04 GHz in testing of the retail iPhone 16, with four efficiency cores at 2.2 GHz.[2](https://www.gsmarena.com/apple_iphone_16-review-2749p4.php) Apple claimed the CPU is 30% faster than the A16 Bionic in the iPhone 15 and 60% faster than the iPhone 12's chip, and that the same CPU performance can be delivered using 30% less power.[1](https://www.apple.com/ie/newsroom/2024/09/apple-introduces-iphone-16-iphone-16-plus/) • [2](https://www.gsmarena.com/apple_iphone_16-review-2749p4.php) • [8](https://www.ithome.com/0/794/640.htm)
The 5-core GPU adds hardware-accelerated ray tracing, a feature that had been limited to the iPhone 15 Pro's A17 Pro and was new to the standard iPhone lineup.[3](https://www.macrumors.com/2024/09/10/a18-vs-a18-pro/) Apple rated it up to 40% faster and 35% more efficient than the A16 Bionic's GPU, and independent testing found GPU gains of roughly 30% to 60% depending on the 3D test used.[1](https://www.apple.com/ie/newsroom/2024/09/apple-introduces-iphone-16-iphone-16-plus/) • [2](https://www.gsmarena.com/apple_iphone_16-review-2749p4.php) The efficiency claim translates to the same GPU performance at 35% lower power draw.[2](https://www.gsmarena.com/apple_iphone_16-review-2749p4.php)
## A18 versus A18 Pro
The two chips share the same 6-core CPU and 16-core Neural Engine; the A18 Pro differs mainly in graphics, carrying a 6-core GPU instead of 5, along with an upgraded memory subsystem with 17% more memory bandwidth.[3](https://www.macrumors.com/2024/09/10/a18-vs-a18-pro/) A later MacRumors buyer's guide lists the A18 Pro's memory bandwidth at 60 GB/s.[9](https://www.macrumors.com/guide/iphone-16-pro-vs-18-pro/) In Geekbench 6 multicore testing, the iPhone 16 with the A18 scored 7,929, against 8,283 for the iPhone 16 Pro with the A18 Pro.[2](https://www.gsmarena.com/apple_iphone_16-review-2749p4.php)
## Thermal design
Both iPhone 16 models received a reworked thermal design: Apple centralized chip placement on a redesigned logic board and added a thermal substrate made from 100% recycled aluminum, which it said raises sustained gaming performance by 30%.[3](https://www.macrumors.com/2024/09/10/a18-vs-a18-pro/) • [2](https://www.gsmarena.com/apple_iphone_16-review-2749p4.php) Sustained performance matters because chips throttle under long load; in Notebookcheck's stress testing, the A18 Pro in the iPhone 16 Pro held 65.6% stability on the Solar Bay stress test and about 60.9% on Wild Life Extreme.[10](https://www.notebookcheck.net/Apple-iPhone-16-Pro-smartphone-review-The-small-Pro-phone-with-the-big-display.899301.0.html)
## Role in Apple Intelligence
The 16-core Neural Engine is described by Apple as optimized for large generative models, running machine learning models up to twice as fast as the A16 Bionic.[1](https://www.apple.com/ie/newsroom/2024/09/apple-introduces-iphone-16-iphone-16-plus/) The first Apple Intelligence features arrived in beta the month after launch as part of iOS 18.1.[11](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2024/09/the-iphone-16-lineup-airpods-4-apple-watch-series-10-arrive-around-the-world/) Apple's later foundation-model work continues to target [Apple silicon](https://www.edgepedia.org/apple-silicon), including a roughly 3-billion-parameter on-device model compressed to 2 bits per weight.[12](https://machinelearning.apple.com/research/apple-foundation-models-2025-updates)
## Successors
The A18 was followed in 2025 by the A19 and A19 Pro in the iPhone 17 generation, and in 2026 by the A20 Pro, built on 2-nanometer silicon, which Apple claims delivers CPU and GPU gains of up to 20% and 60% respectively over the A19 Pro.[6](https://www.techradar.com/phones/iphone/iphone-18-pro-vs-iphone-17) The iPhone 18 Pro also adds a vapor chamber cooling design that Apple says yields 40% better sustained CPU and GPU performance than a titanium frame.[13](https://www.tomsguide.com/phones/iphones/i-put-the-iphone-18-pro-vs-iphone-16-pro-through-a-7-round-face-off-is-the-upgrade-worth-it)
## References
1. [Apple introduces iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus, Apple Newsroom (September 9, 2024)](https://www.apple.com/ie/newsroom/2024/09/apple-introduces-iphone-16-iphone-16-plus/)
2. [Apple iPhone 16 review: performance and benchmarks, GSMArena](https://www.gsmarena.com/apple_iphone_16-review-2749p4.php)
3. [A18 vs. A18 Pro: What's the Difference?, MacRumors](https://www.macrumors.com/2024/09/10/a18-vs-a18-pro/)
4. [A18 Pro die image, ~21B transistors, TSMC N3E, IEEE EDPS archives (Groeneveld, 2025)](https://www.ieee-edps.com/archives/2025/c/0100groeneveld.pdf)
5. [iPhone 16 technical specifications, Apple (DE)](https://www.apple.com/de/iphone-16/specs/)
6. [iPhone 18 Pro vs iPhone 17: which should you choose?, TechRadar](https://www.techradar.com/phones/iphone/iphone-18-pro-vs-iphone-17)
7. [Apple Intelligence comes to iPhone, iPad, and Mac starting next month, Apple Newsroom](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2024/09/apple-intelligence-comes-to-iphone-ipad-and-mac-starting-next-month/)
8. [苹果 A18 芯片发布：iPhone 16 系列首发，CPU 提升 30%、GPU 提升 40%, IT之家](https://www.ithome.com/0/794/640.htm)
9. [iPhone 16 Pro vs. iPhone 18 Pro Buyer's Guide, MacRumors](https://www.macrumors.com/guide/iphone-16-pro-vs-18-pro/)
10. [Apple iPhone 16 Pro smartphone review, Notebookcheck](https://www.notebookcheck.net/Apple-iPhone-16-Pro-smartphone-review-The-small-Pro-phone-with-the-big-display.899301.0.html)
11. [The iPhone 16 lineup, AirPods 4, Apple Watch Series 10 arrive around the world, Apple Newsroom](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2024/09/the-iphone-16-lineup-airpods-4-apple-watch-series-10-arrive-around-the-world/)
12. [Updates to Apple's On-Device and Server Foundation Language Models, Apple Machine Learning Research](https://machinelearning.apple.com/research/apple-foundation-models-2025-updates)
13. [I tested the iPhone 18 Pro vs iPhone 16 Pro, Tom's Guide](https://www.tomsguide.com/phones/iphones/i-put-the-iphone-18-pro-vs-iphone-16-pro-through-a-7-round-face-off-is-the-upgrade-worth-it)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Technology and the built world › Computing and digital systems › Computer hardware › Processors & processor engineering › Microprocessor families*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 15, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026 · Last review: Oct 15, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license