The A19 and A19 Pro were Apple’s last 3nm chipsets for the iPhone lineup, as the company has set its sights on the A20 and A20 Pro next year, making it the first time that we will witness SoCs designed on TSMC’s 2nm process in action. Apart from sporting the next-generation lithography, both silicon will also offer a bevy of technological advancements for when Apple announces the iPhone 18 family. Here is everything you need to know about the A20 and A20 Pro.
A brief look at TSMC’s 2nm ‘N2’ node and how it stacks up against the older 3nm ‘N3E’ and 3nm ‘N3P’ processes
As TSMC begins 2nm wafer production, earlier reports have stated that two of its local plants are already sold out and operating at maximum levels, with Apple having secured more than half of the initial capacity to keep rivals like Qualcomm and MediaTek at bay. Naturally, there must be some improvements to this lithography that has the trillion-dollar giant wanting a first crack at it, and there definitely is.
Unfortunately, there are currently no comparisons with TSMC’s newest 3nm ‘N3P’ process, but since the latter is just an optical shrink compared to the 3nm ‘N3E’ variant, the differences between the two technologies are more or less negligible. Compared to the N3E node, TSMC’s 2nm process offers the following:
- 10-15 percent higher performance at the same power consumption
- 25-30 percent lower power consumption at the same performance level
- 15 percent or more increase in transistor density for the same power and performance
There were rumors claiming that Qualcomm would have an edge over Apple as it would gravitate to TSMC’s more advanced 2nm ‘N2P’ process for the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6, but those claims have been buried by a tipster, confirming that all SoCs will utilize the N2 node next year. The aforementioned attributes will ensure that the A20 and A20 Pro have an increased 'performance per watt,’ allowing Apple to experiment with thinner products, like the second-generation iPhone Air.
A20 and A20 Pro - codenames, number of cores, and which iPhone 18 model will be treated to which chipset?
For the first time, we have learned that the A20 is internally called ‘Borneo’ while the more powerful version, the A20 Pro, has the codename’ Borneo Ultra.’ As the majority of you know, the Pro and non-Pro variants exist for a reason, with the base iPhone 18 likely getting treated to the A20. The iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and Apple’s first foldable iPhone would be shipping with the A20 Pro.
As for the number of cores, Apple will want to maintain a strong balance of performance and efficiency, which is why we believe the A20 and A20 Pro will have a 6-core CPU, divided into two performance and four efficiency cores. With the 2nm process, Apple should have the flexibility to take single-core and multi-core performance to new heights, with this year’s A19 Pro’s efficiency cores demonstrating incredible performance gains at practically zero power consumption.
Expected price
With TSMC’s advanced lithography in play, both the A20 and A20 Pro aren’t going to be fabricated cheaply. According to a previous estimate, each unit is expected to set Apple by a mammoth $280. Also, if you thought this was the end of your miseries, the iPhone 18 lineup’s higher storage variants are reported to witness a price hike due to expensive NAND flash and DRAM, meaning that customers are expected to pay more.
Apple will likely have a total of three A20 and A20 Pro chipsets powering the new iPhones in 2026
Information surrounding the number of GPU cores is not available to us, but this year, Apple took chip-binning to a whole new level. Where the base iPhone 17 shipped with the regular A19, the iPhone Air featured an A19 Pro with a 5-core GPU, with the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max sporting the same A19 Pro, but with a 6-core GPU.
Next year, we should witness something similar. With three A20 and A20 Pro versions arriving in 2026, given below are what we believe to be the specifications belonging to the iPhone 18. Keep in mind that, with the foldable iPhone included in the lineup, Apple may need to take a different approach to help maintain some notable differences. While the regular A20 will stay on 3nm N3P.
- iPhone 18 - A20 (2 performance cores, 4 efficiency cores, 5-core GPU)
- iPhone 18 Pro - A20 Pro (2 performance cores, 4 efficiency cores, 5-core GPU)
- iPhone 18 Pro Max - A20 Pro (2 performance cores, 4 efficiency cores, 6-core GPU)
- iPhone Fold - A20 Pro (2 performance cores, 4 efficiency cores, 6-core GPU)
Which new packaging technologies will Apple adopt for the A20 and A20 Pro alongside TSMC’s 2nm process?
For years, Apple has adopted the integrated Fan-Out packaging (inFO) for its A-series chipsets, but it has been reported on numerous occasions that the company will move to Wafer-Level Multi-Chip Module Packaging (WMCM) for the A20 and A20 Pro. This process involves adding multiple dies, such as the CPU, GPU, memory, and other parts at a wafer level, before being sliced into individual chips. The higher-performance A20 Pro is also reported to sport SHPMIM (Super High Performance Metal Insulator Metal) capacitors, offering twice the capacitance density.
With this packaging, Apple can ensure that it mass produces smaller and more efficient SoCs that are less costly to manufacture, while also improving heat dissipation. Given that each of TSMC’s 2nm wafers is estimated to cost $30,000, the Cupertino firm has to look for alternative packaging technologies to reduce its chipset expenditure while offering products fabricated using cutting-edge lithography.
We do not have the exact per-unit cost of the A20 and A20 Pro, but we can imagine it will not be cheap. The flagship iPhones are not the only Apple products that will feature 2nm-made SoCs, as the company is also preparing the M6 for its OLED and non-OLED versions of the MacBook Pro range. In short, 2026 will be an exciting year in terms of advancements, and we will be here to provide our readers with the latest updates.
