An alleged circuit and solder-joint diagram for Apple’s upcoming A20 Pro chip offers a detailed look at the internal architecture expected to power the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and Apple’s rumored first foldable iPhone.
The leak comes from Chinese social media network Weibo, where tech user “Fried White Rice” reconstructed the processor’s layout by mapping solder ball positions and overlaying them with die-level images. While analyzing chip layouts via solder points is indirect and far from an exact science, the findings highlight a series of plausible, performance-focused internal upgrades.
Key Architectural Highlights
• 7-Core GPU (Up from 6 Cores): The diagram indicates a shift from the 6-core graphics configuration found on the A19 Pro to a 7-core design on the A20 Pro—a roughly 16% increase in GPU cores.
• Wider Memory Interface (96-bit Bus): The layout suggests a upgrade to a 96-bit memory interface for LPDDR5x RAM, expanding beyond the 64-bit interface used in the previous generation. This 50% widening of the memory bus would significantly boost overall memory bandwidth, helping feed graphics-heavy games and onboard machine learning models.
• Expanded L2 Efficiency Cache: While the CPU retains its standard configuration—two performance cores paired with four efficiency cores—the shared L2 cache for the four efficiency cores reportedly increases from 6MB to 8MB. The two performance cores appear to keep their existing 16MB L2 cache.
• Performance Expectations: Coupled with recent supply chain rumors, the A20 Pro is projected to deliver up to 18% faster overall speeds and 30% better power efficiency compared to its predecessor.
Outlook and Expected Announcement
Beyond processing improvements, the A20 Pro is expected to accommodate a revamped Image Signal Processor (ISP) and Neural Engine.
MacDailyNews Take: With Apple anticipated to unveil the iPhone 18 Pro lineup shortly, these architectural changes point toward a heavy emphasis on graphics performance, local Apple Intelligence processing, and memory-intensive workflows. However, as with all pre-launch board-level leaks, these architectural deductions remain unconfirmed until Apple officially takes the stage.
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All that power begs the question how many years it will take before we get floating resizable windows on the iPhone ‘Ultra’ 😆 Of course other foldable manufacturers have this ‘feature’ (first introduced commerically by Apple on the Lisa in 1983). Get ready for that same “the software isn’t making use of the hardware” frustration that started with iPad all over again..