Apple has announced the A20 Pro, a 2nm-based processor for the new iPhone 18 lineup and the foldable iPhone Duo.
The chip introduces a WMCM architectural shift, moving DRAM adjacent to the SoC.
Beyond the process node reduction, it features a 32-core Neural Engine for AI workloads and a modernized thermal management stack, including graphite heat transfer in the foldable hinge, enabling a 35% increase in sustained graphics throughput.
Changes inside the processor
The A20 Pro brings significant design changes. Apple moved the device's memory to the side of the processor instead of on top of it to improve heat management. In addition, the processor includes 32 Neural Engine cores, twice as many as its predecessor, to meet the increased needs of artificial intelligence functions.
New cooling systems
To keep the devices cool despite their high power, Apple has upgraded the cooling system. It now uses a larger vapor chamber, as well as materials like special metal on foam and copper nanotubes.
In the foldable iPhone Duo, the challenge was to transfer heat between the two halves of the device. To do this, engineers placed a flexible graphite tube inside the hinge, allowing heat to be transferred and dissipated more efficiently.
What these changes mean for performance
These upgrades allow the iPhone 18 Pro to maintain 35% higher graphics performance than the previous model. At the same time, improvements in processor efficiency offer longer battery life on the iPhone 18 Pro Max. The foldable iPhone Duo is expected to be released on October 23.
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