A new leak claims Apple’s A20 Pro chip could be 18% faster than the A19 Pro in the iPhone 17 Pro, with roughly 30% better power efficiency on top.
The bigger story is what’s changing under the hood. The A20 Pro is expected to be Apple’s first chip built on TSMC’s 2nm process, moving away from the 3nm node used for A19 Pro. That also means a switch to Gate-All-Around nanosheet transistors, replacing the FinFET design Apple’s used for years. TSMC itself has said its N2 process can deliver roughly 10-15% more speed at the same power, or 25-30% less power at the same speed, versus its previous N3E node. Apple’s actual implementation determines what the A20 Pro gets out of that, the raw process numbers aren’t a guarantee.
There’s also a packaging change reportedly coming: Wafer-Level Multi-Chip Module, or WMCM, which would place RAM much closer to the CPU, GPU, and Neural Engine on the same package. That could mean faster memory access and better bandwidth, potentially useful for Apple Intelligence workloads that move a lot of data around. A leaked motherboard image is reportedly the source for this detail, paired with claims that Apple’s moving to LPDDR6 memory, a jump from the current LPDDR5X setup.
Apple’s reportedly building two chips this generation: a standard A20 for the base iPhone 18, and the A20 Pro for the Pro models and possibly the rumored foldable iPhone. Given Apple’s rumored split launch schedule, the Pro models with A20 Pro would land in September 2026, while the base iPhone 18 slides to spring 2027.
Whether the A20 Pro ends up the fastest mobile chip on the market is still an open question, but Qualcomm’s next Snapdragon flagship has its own competing performance claims floating around. What’s clear is that this isn’t just a speed bump generation. Between the 2nm process, new transistor type, WMCM packaging, and possibly LPDDR6, Apple’s changing more of the chip’s foundation at once than it usually does year to year.
M Adnan Akram is the founder and lead writer at Phoonomo, covering mobile technology with a primary focus on Apple and the broader smartphone industry, alongside emerging developments in AI. He follows product launches, spec leaks, and industry trends closely to keep readers informed with timely updates.
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