Apple has introduced a new flagship smartphone System-on-a-Chip (SoC)—the A20 Pro. This new processor debuted at today's Apple iPhone launch event, which was also the first event presided over by the new CEO, John Ternus. Also unveiled was a new self-developed modem (C2).
The A20 Pro is Apple's first 2-nanometer chip to be used in an iPhone. (Apple's first 2nm chip was the M6, which the company announced in August and will debut later this month in the Mac Mini.) Like the M6, the A20 is equipped with a dual Neural Engine, and new CPU and GPU cores.
The A20 Pro will power the new foldable iPhone Duo as well as the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max.
This new SoC features a 6-core CPU, which includes two of Apple's performance cores (20% faster than the previous generation) and four efficiency cores with neural network accelerators. Apple calls it a "desktop-class" processor and the "fastest CPU in a smartphone."
The 7-core GPU offers 40% better performance than the previous generation, along with increased bandwidth, and features new neural accelerators which the company says double FP8 compute speeds.
The A20 Pro also features a brand-new dual 16-core Neural Engine for accelerating on-device AI models and computational photography, totaling 32 cores, providing double the AI processing power of the A19 Pro. Memory bandwidth has been increased by 50%, which Apple says is the widest memory interface in an iPhone.
Apple has also improved the packaging by placing the silicon die away from the SoC's thermal path, allowing it to connect directly to a vapor chamber. Compared to the 17 Pro, this vapor chamber has three times the surface area, uses more graphite and copper, and features 80% recycled stainless steel.
Apple introduced a redesigned thermal system centered around a new-generation vapor chamber, whose surface area is three times that of the previous generation.
The new vapor chamber continuously circulates deionized water, significantly improving heat dissipation, allowing the A20 Pro chip to sustain higher performance for longer under heavy workloads.
Apple redesigned the silicon packaging, adopting "a custom packaging inspired by the M-series chips," placing the silicon die and memory side-by-side rather than stacked. This removes the memory from the chip's thermal path, enabling the A20 Pro to connect directly to the vapor chamber.
To achieve these improvements, Apple had to redesign the physical packaging of the A20 Pro. The old InFO_PoP packaging has been abandoned in favor of a new technology called WMCM (Wafer-Level Multi-Chip Module). Simply put, DRAM chips are no longer stacked on top of the A20 Pro die; instead, they are packaged side-by-side.
This design provides ample space for SoC heat dissipation, thereby improving sustained performance while preventing the DRAM chips from causing the SoC to overheat. As always, Apple did not reveal more specific technical details of the A20 Pro at launch.
Apple states that the combination of the new packaging, new thermal materials, and larger vapor chamber results in a 40% improvement in the iPhone's sustained performance compared to the previous generation, which the company calls the highest sustained performance ever in an iPhone.
The company claims this brings up to a 40% improvement in sustained performance over the iPhone 17 Pro, and double the sustained performance of the iPhone 16 Pro.
Apple says the A20 Pro's efficient performance and new battery design deliver longer battery life. The company claims the iPhone 18 Pro achieves 36 hours of video playback, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max achieves 45 hours. Apple also claims, based on a proprietary test using data on how users actually use their phones, that the iPhone 18 Pro lasts 24 hours per charge and the iPhone 18 Pro Max lasts 30 hours per charge.
In addition to the System-on-a-Chip (SoC), Apple has adopted a new C2 cellular modem, replacing the equivalent product from Qualcomm. Apple claims the C2 modem "delivers significantly faster upload speeds compared to the C1X, while consuming 15% less power," and adds support for mmWave in the US. Both phones also feature the N1 networking chip, supporting Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread.
Another new chip from Apple is the S11, designed for the Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4. It features two efficiency cores, a single-core GPU, and a quad-core AI accelerator.
The New C2 Modem
Apple today launched the new iPhone 18 Pro models and the iPhone Duo—its first foldable iPhone. Both the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo are equipped with Apple's new custom-designed C2 modem, supporting 5G connectivity.
Prior to today's announcement, there were rumors that Apple's self-developed C2 modem would not support mmWave 5G in the US market, and the company would rely on Qualcomm again to fill this gap for US carriers. However, that is apparently not the case, at least regarding mmWave support.
The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max press releases and technical specification pages from Apple seem to indicate that the C2 modem is limited to the smaller iPhone 18 Pro model, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max uses a Qualcomm modem. The reason for this distinction is unclear, considering the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max have nearly identical features.
Apple says the C2 chip uses AI to improve cellular quality and reliability and now supports mmWave technology in the US. The company claims upload speeds are also significantly faster compared to the C1X, while power consumption is reduced by 15%.
Regarding mmWave support, Apple's US specifications list bands n258, n260, and n261, along with sub-6GHz 5G with 4x4 MIMO, but the UK specifications only list sub-6GHz.
Meanwhile, both models are equipped with the N1, an Apple-designed wireless networking chip supporting Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread.
Introduction to the New WMCM Packaging
Earlier, we mentioned Apple introduced the latest WMCM packaging for its new chip. So what exactly is this technology?
It is reported that WMCM packaging will utilize MUF (Molded Underfill) technology, which integrates underfill and molding processes.
This packaging technology is said to be an upgraded version of TSMC's InFO-PoP (Integrated Fan-Out Package-on-Package) technology, integrating advanced packaging technologies like CoW (Chip-on-Wafer) and RDL (Redistribution Layer). By horizontally packaging the logic chip and DRAM, it replaces the traditional vertical stacking method, achieving significant improvements in heat dissipation and performance. This is also an advanced packaging technology jointly developed by TSMC and Apple, designed specifically for Apple, becoming another highlight alongside the A20 processor's adoption of the 2nm process.
Industry insiders point out that WMCM not only enables thinner packaging but can also integrate more memory, which is crucial for meeting the stringent demands of future edge AI applications for computing power and energy efficiency. Chip industry analysts believe this upgrade is a necessary move to address the high-performance computing demands of the AI era.
Analysts note that WMCM is one of the first packaging technologies to blur the lines of traditional packaging. It is considered likely to be applied to iPhone packaging in the future, but the logic behind it is quite similar to that of High-Performance Computing (HPC): shifting from stacked packaging to smarter integration, reducing bottlenecks, improving yield, and avoiding thermal throttling.
WMCM is not a "single technology" but a hybrid way of thinking.
A widely circulated description that best illustrates this technology is that WMCM operates similarly to a hybrid approach, blending concepts from InFO and CoWoS. This perhaps hints at how TSMC wants the industry to view it:
- InFO showed the world how much fan-out capabilities can do.
- CoWoS taught the world how to scale integration for performance.
- WMCM attempts to get the best of both: tighter integration while avoiding the full complexity (and cost) of traditional interposer-intensive methods.
From a packaging perspective, WMCM offers several structural advantages. By integrating memory directly into the module, it reduces the need for separate components and eliminates traditional interposers or substrates. Using molded underfill material further simplifies the stacking structure, reduces material consumption and process steps, and may also free up internal space for other components, such as a larger battery.
This article is from the WeChat public account "Semiconductor Industry Observation" (ID: icbank), by the Editorial Department.
