The latest leak claims that all four iPhone 16 models will have the same processor, which is good news for those who don’t want to spend money on the pricier (rumored) iPhone 16 Pro or iPhone 16 Pro Max.
Early development copies of iOS 18 have been obtained by MacRumors, and they include references to all four expected iPhone 16 variants, namely the iPhone 16, the iPhone 16 Plus, the iPhone 16 Pro, and the iPhone 16 Pro Max. And all four are described as using the Tahiti chipset, which is rumored to be Apple’s internal name for the A18.
Only the Pro iPhones have received the latest chipset in recent years, with the basic and Plus versions receiving the prior year’s chipset. The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, for example, have an A17 Pro chipset, whereas the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus have an A16 Bionic, which is also found in the previous iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max.
Peak performance at a reasonable cost
However, if this rumor is correct, the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus will receive a brand-new chipset, the same as the Pro models. That would represent a significant two-generation power increase over the A16 Bionic-powered iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus.
It would also imply that you might obtain the most powerful iPhone chipset without purchasing one of the most expensive versions. Though it’s feasible that the Pro models will have greater RAM, giving them an advantage.
According to MacRumors, there may be two variants of the A18, such as an A18 and an A18 Pro, with the Pro phones receiving the latter. In that situation, these phones may not all receive the same chipset after all.
In any case, another intriguing feature in this leak is the absence of an iPhone 16 Ultra, which some reports claim may be released instead of, or in addition to, the iPhone 16 Pro Max as an even more premium choice.
All of this being said, it’s still early days for iPhone 16 leaks, as these phones aren’t expected to arrive until September, so we’d take anything with a grain of salt. Meanwhile, among the finest iPhones, there are a plethora of excellent Apple options.
