The iPhone 17 series may not be here yet, but we've already started hearing rumors about what the iPhone 18 series may have to offer. The latest reiterates claims we've heard already, suggesting the upcoming A20 chipset will be built using a 2nm process.
The information comes from analyst Jeff Pu, in a research note from GF Securities (via MacRumors). Pu claims that the iPhone 18 Pro, 18 Pro Max and the upcoming iPhone Fold will be powered by this chip.
No word on what this means for the iPhone 18 and 18 Air, but if rumors are to be believed these phones may not be released until March 2027 — roughly six months after the Pro models. Hopefully Apple still offers an A20 chipset in those phones, even if it doesn't offer quite as much performance power.
For those unfamiliar with the process, building smaller chips this way offers better transistor density, which offers a significant boost to both performance and energy efficiency. This means the iPhone 18 Pro should be significantly more powerful than the iPhone 17 Pro, while also lasting longer on a single charge.
Past reports have suggested that these chips could be up to 15% faster while offering a 30% improvement to power efficiency compared to the still-unreleased A19 chips. That could be particularly important for future Apple Intelligence upgrades, since better performance could offer more powerful on-device features.
What else is happening with future iPhones?
Rumor has it the iPhone 18 Pro could also feature the first fully-under display Face ID system Apple has produced since the feature's inception back in 2017. What this means is that all the necessary facial recognition hardware will be hidden away, leaving the front camera as the only visible cut-out in the screen.
The camera itself is then rumored to be going under the display in 2027, to mark the 20th anniversary of the original iPhone. However all these changes have only been rumored for the Pro models, and it's unclear if and when the non-Pro iPhones will get these changes.
That 20th anniversary iPhone, whether it's called iPhone 19 or iPhone 20, is supposedly going to lay the groundwork for all future iPhones. That phone has been described as a "mostly-glass curved iPhone" complete with a new wraparound display on all four sides of the device.
Meanwhile the iPhone 17 series isn't expected to be quite so ground-breaking. Though dummy units and renders suggest that we will be seeing a new full-width camera bar on the rear of the Pro models and the iPhone 17 Air.
The Air, of course, is a brand new design replacing the iPhone 17 Plus, designed to emphasise style with an ultra-thin design. You can read more about all four iPhone 17 phones, and keep up with all the latest news and rumors, in our iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max hubs.
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