Apple has unveiled its new flagship smartphone SoC, the A20 Pro, alongside the iPhone 18 Pro / Pro Max and the long‑awaited foldable iPhone Duo. It’s the company’s first 2 nm chip in an iPhone and is positioned as a “desktop‑class” processor.
A20 Pro: 2 nm performance and new thermal design
The A20 Pro borrows ideas from the M‑series and brings a heavily upgraded architecture:
- 6‑core CPU – 2 performance super‑cores (20% faster than last gen) + 4 efficiency cores with neural accelerators
- 7‑core GPU – 40% gen‑over‑gen uplift and higher memory bandwidth
- Dual neural engines with 32 total cores, up to 2× faster FP8 compute
- 50% more memory bandwidth, the widest interface ever in an iPhone
Apple also reworked the SoC packaging: memory is moved out of the main thermal path, and the silicon attaches directly to a much larger vapor chamber. That chamber has 3× the surface area of the 17 Pro design, uses more graphite and copper, and 80% recycled stainless steel. Apple claims up to 40% higher sustained performance versus iPhone 17 Pro and 2× versus 16 Pro.
A new in‑house C2 cellular modem replaces Qualcomm parts, promising meaningfully faster uploads at 15% lower power, plus mmWave support in the US. Both 18 Pro models and Duo also integrate the N1 networking chip for Wi‑Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread.
Battery claims: up to 36 hours of video playback on iPhone 18 Pro and 45 hours on Pro Max, or 24 / 30 hours of mixed use based on Apple’s internal model.
iPhone Duo: Apple’s first foldable with A20 Pro
The iPhone Duo brings the A20 Pro to a foldable form factor:
- 7.6" inner display, making it the thinnest iPhone when open and the largest iPhone screen so far
- Under‑display FaceTime camera on the inner panel
- Aerospace‑grade titanium hinge with 100+ components, IP68 dust/water resistance
- Anti‑glare inner display coating to minimize crease visibility, with a titanium support plate
The Duo supports multiple “poses” (partial fold, tent mode with standby even off‑charge). Unlike recent slabs, it uses Touch ID instead of Face ID for biometrics, arguing it works consistently whether the phone is open or closed and allows multiple fingers.
The phone is eSIM‑only worldwide, freeing space for batteries on both halves. The two packs are managed as a single unit in software. Apple quotes up to 31 hours of video playback on the inner display, 44 hours on the outer, and 24 hours in a “both screens equally” scenario.
Camera setup:
- 48 MP main camera (same sensor as 18 Pro, but without variable aperture) with up to 2× telephoto
- Ultra‑wide secondary camera
- 12 MP Center Stage front camera
- Under‑screen FaceTime camera on the inner display
Pricing & availability
- iPhone 18 Pro from $1,199, Pro Max from $1,299, shipping September 18
- iPhone Duo from $1,999 for 256 GB, up to 2 TB; pre‑orders October 16, launch October 23
Source: Tom's Hardware
