Apple’s next iPhone 18 Pro could use an A20 Pro chip with seven GPU cores and faster memory, according to leaked circuit-board diagrams shared in China.
Key Points:
- The leak points to a possible seventh GPU core, up from six in the previous generation, while retaining a six-core CPU layout.
- The diagrams also suggest larger cache for the efficiency CPU cores and a faster memory interface.
- The evidence remains indirect because the images show board connections rather than the A20 Pro chip itself.
A20 Pro Design
A Chinese Weibo leaker known as Fried White Rice posted diagrams that reportedly show where the A20 Pro will connect to the iPhone 18 Pro’s circuit board. The layout led the leaker to estimate how Apple may divide CPU, GPU and memory resources on the chip.
The CPU is expected to keep two high-performance cores and four efficiency cores, matching the previous configuration. However, the leaker said L2 cache for the four smaller cores may rise from 6 MB to 8 MB, while the larger cores could keep 16 MB.
The GPU is harder to determine from the solder-ball layout. After comparing possible six-, seven- and eight-core arrangements, the leaker said a seven-core design appeared to fit the available pattern best.
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iPhone 18 Outlook
The possible extra graphics core could give Apple more room for gaming, graphics workloads and on-device AI, but the diagrams do not confirm clock speeds or final performance.
The reported faster memory interface could also help feed the CPU and GPU more data, though no memory speed was provided.
9to5Mac said Fried White Rice has some record of credible leaks, but described this type of inference from board diagrams as highly uncertain. The publication said the conclusions are plausible and should be treated as informed estimates rather than confirmed specifications.
The report follows an Aug. claim from Fixed Focus Digital that the A20 Pro could run 18% faster than its predecessor while improving power efficiency by 30%. Those figures remain unconfirmed, but they add to earlier indications that Apple may focus on both performance and efficiency in its next Pro-class chip.
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