Why Apple's new A18 chipsets make the iPhone 16 models worth upgrading to

Kerry Wan/ZDNET

Apple's new A18 and A18 Pro chips are the underlying force driving this year's iPhone 16, promising next-gen performance, advanced AI capabilities, and improved efficiency for better battery life. With the new chip spread across every iPhone 16 model, here's what users can expect with this year's devices.

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Starting off with the 16-core Neural Engine, which lends itself to improvements in machine learning and artificial intelligence tasks such as face recognition, image processing, and handling on-device queries. Such a spec will help future-proof the new iPhone models for when Apple Intelligence plays an even bigger role.

Beyond AI, the A18 chips, which are built with Apple's second-gen 3nm processor, should yield better day-to-day performance over last year's A17. For example, Apple says the A18 Pro runs up to 15% faster than the A17 Pro while using 20% less power. This ratio of power and efficiency means your iPhone's apps should run quicker, video processing should be smoother, and the battery life should last longer than ever.

Smaller transistors in a chip generally mean faster speeds, better energy efficiency, and less heat generation, all of which should be evident in the iPhone 16. We'll have to see how things fare when we get the devices in for real-world testing.

Kerry Wan/ZDNET

When it comes to gaming, video streaming, and other graphics-intensive applications, Apple says the A18 chip's new 6-core GPU will also significantly boost rendering capabilities and ensure a smooth, lag-free experience.

Also: The 5 best iPhone 16 Pro features that enthusiasts will care about

Here is a breakdown of the A18 chip's advantage over previous iterations, according to Apple:

Built with second-gen 3nm technology for faster, more efficient processing6-core CPU (2 performance cores, 4 efficiency cores)30% faster than CPU on iPhone 15; 60% faster than CPU on iPhone 12Uses 30% less power than the A16 chipFeatures desktop-class GPU architecture (ideal for graphics-intensive games)40% faster than GPU on iPhone 15, same performance as A16 Bionic, but consumes 35% less power

The A18 Pro chip, available in the iPhone 16 Pro line, is also built with a second-gen 3nm processor and a 6-core CPU, and offers these upgrades:

16-core neural engine + 17% more memory bandwidth, which means it excels at generative AI workloads
Runs up to 15% faster than last year's A17 Pro while using 20% less powerPaired with a 6-core GPU, it is 20% faster than A17 Pro (when it comes to GPU performance)2x faster ray tracing than A17 ProNext-gen ML accelerators
Advanced media component for ProMotion display support + faster USB 3 speeds