Apple’s next iPhone 18 Pro could deliver a sizeable performance jump without demanding more from the battery. A new supply-chain claim says the A20 Pro chip will be 18% faster than its predecessor while improving power efficiency by as much as 30%.
Apple’s next flagship iPhone may be getting one of its more meaningful chip upgrades in years.
The A20 Pro, expected to power the iPhone 18 Pro and the rumoured iPhone Ultra, could deliver 18% higher performance and 30% better power efficiency compared with the A19 Pro, according to leaker Fixed Focus Digital quoted by 9to5mac.
Of the two, the efficiency number might be the more interesting. A 30% improvement doesn’t automatically mean 30% longer iPhone battery life, but it could mean Apple has more room to increase battery life, keep performance high for longer or run demanding AI and graphics features on less power.
Apple could make the jump to 2nm
The gains are related to another big shift: the A20 Pro is rumoured to be Apple’s first chip to use TSMC’s 2-nanometre process. TSMC said its N2 technology entered volume production in the fourth quarter of 2025 and uses a new generation of nanosheet transistors designed to boost both performance and power efficiency.
9to5Mac also notes that Apple might be using a new chip-packaging technique called WMCM, which could be another reason the new M3 chips improve performance and efficiency.
One big caveat: Apple hasn’t confirmed the A20 Pro, the iPhone 18 Pro or these performance numbers. The iPhone 17 generation is still listed as the current line-up on the official website, so the numbers are still firmly in leak territory until Apple announces its next phones.
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Still, if the numbers hold up, the A20 Pro upgrade might be less about winning benchmark contests and more about something iPhone owners will actually notice: more speed without paying for it in battery life.
