iPhone Microprocessor: List with All Chip Models

Main advantages of these chips

As we said at the beginning, this chip is the brain of the iPhone, since all the processes that the device is capable of executing go through it. Over the years these have evolved to reach really surprising levels of performance and that are even wasted in a way if we take into account some limitations of the iOS software with respect to what we would have in desktop operating systems.

Although the first chips that these phones assembled were designed by other companies, since 2010 Apple has been in charge of the entire design process. The fact that the company itself designs this hardware and software is what allows iPhones to receive updates for more years than the average of their competitors, in addition to offering much higher returns than these despite generally incorporating fewer of RAM than them.

These processors, however, have not only been designed for iPhone, since improved versions for iPad have been released from them. Apple typically adds a letter ‘X’ or ‘Z’ to these tablet chips to differentiate their performance. Among the improvements that are made for these models we find a greater number of cores or an improved GPU, which is why they usually occur in the iPad Pro models and not so much in versions of another range.

Chips of the first iPhone: made in Samsung

Nowadays it seems crazy, but in the first three generations of iPhone we find microprocessors made by Samsung. To tell the truth, the South Korean company is not only Apple’s rival in the sale of smartphones, but it is also one of the most relevant companies in the construction of components such as this type of chips and even screens. Not in vain do we find some iPhone that also mount panels of this brand, although that is another story.

In the first three generations of iPhone we found a microprocessor designed and manufactured by Samsung and although in subsequent generations it was Apple itself that began to design this component, the truth is that they remained linked to the Korean company thanks to the fact that it was in charge of manufacture some of them based on what was stipulated from Cupertino.

The iPhone (original), iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS mounted a chip with an almost unpronounceable name, the Samsung S5L8900 ARM 11 . Precisely in its name we find the type of architecture used: ARMv6 with a single core. This had a PowerVR graphics processor that came to take on the same performance tasks as on a desktop computer. It was clocked between 412 and 666 MHz at its lowest and highest peaks respectively, with a 16 Kib cache .

When the original iPhone was presented by Steve Jobs in January 2007 there were so many new features that this device brought with respect to its competitors, that this chip seemed to take a back seat. However, Apple itself boasted at that time of having been able to integrate a computer chip into a mobile phone, which advanced a performance well above the average.

Apple chips for iPhone

Years passed and Apple hit the key of what today is one of its strengths: being the ones who design their own software, but also their hardware. In this way, the company relied on its engineering team to design the chips that would be carried by the iPhone since 2010, also making it possible for these to be extendable to the iPad that at that time had just arrived on the market with its first generation.

Here you can see a list with the processor that each iPhone has, being able to find more specific information on these components later:

• iPhone (original): Samsung S5L8900 ARM 11
• iPhone 3G: Samsung S5L8900 ARM 11
• iPhone 3GS: Samsung S5L8900 ARM 11
• iPhone 4: Apple A4
• iPhone 4s: Apple A5
• iPhone 5: Apple A6
• iPhone 5c: Apple A6
• iPhone 5s: Apple A7
• iPhone 6: Apple A8
• iPhone 6 Plus: Apple A8
• iPhone 6s: Apple A9
• iPhone 6s Plus: Apple A9
• iPhone SE (1st generation): Apple A9
• iPhone 7: Apple A10 Fusion
• iPhone 7 Plus: Apple A10 Fusion
• iPhone 8: Apple A11 Bionic
• iPhone 8 Plus: Apple A11 Bionic
• iPhone X: Apple A11 Bionic
• iPhone XS: Apple A12 Bionic
• iPhone XS Max: Apple A12 Bionic
• iPhone XR: Apple A12 Bionic
• iPhone 11: Apple A13 Bionic
• iPhone 11 Pro: Apple A13 Bionic
• iPhone 11 Pro Max: Apple A13 Bionic
• iPhone SE (2nd generation): Apple A13 Bionic
• iPhone 12: Apple A14 Bionic
• iPhone 12 mini: Apple A14 Bionic
• iPhone 12 Pro: Apple A14 Bionic
• iPhone 12 Pro Max: Apple A14 Bionic

Apple A4

Although it was presented in April 2010 with the first iPad, it was not until June of that year that it was added to the iPhone 4 . It was manufactured by Instrinsity and the aforementioned Samsung, with the following outstanding features:

• Surface: 52.3 mm2
• Technology: 45nm
• Architecture: ARMv7 – Cortex A8 (32-bit)
• CPU:
  • Cores: 1
  • Memory interface: LPDDR
  • Clock frequency: 1 GHz
  • L1 cache: 32 KB
  • L2 cache: 512 KB
• GPU: PowerVR SGX535
  • Cores: 1
  • Speed: 250 MHz
• Other devices in which it was integrated:
  • iPad (1st gen.)
  • iPod touch (4th gen.)
  • Apple TV (2nd gen.)

Apple A5

It was in 2011 when this chip was presented with the iPad 2. However, where it became more relevant was in the iPhone 4s . It was manufactured by Samsung and had the following characteristics as its most relevant data:

• Area: 122.2 – 69.6 mm2
• Technology: 45nm
• Architecture: ARMv7 (32-bit)
• CPU:
  • Cores: 2
  • Memory interface: LPDDR2
  • Clock frequency: 800 GHz
  • L1 cache: 32 KB
  • L2 cache: 1,024 KB
• GPU: PowerVR SGX543MP2
  • Cores: 2
  • Speed: 250 MHz
• Other devices in which it was integrated:
  • iPad 2
  • iPad 3 (A5X)
  • iPad mini (1st gen.)
  • iPod touch (5th gen.)
  • Apple TV (3rd gen.)

Apple A6

In 2012, on the eve of the first anniversary of the death of the legendary Steve Jobs, this processor was released with the iPhone 5 , although a year later it would also reach the iPhone 5c . At the time it was presented as a breakthrough because, according to Apple itself, it was up to two times faster than its predecessor. Its main characteristics were these:

• Surface: 96.72 mm2
• Technology: 32 nm
• Architecture: ARMv7s (32-bit)
• CPU:
  • Cores: 2
  • Memory interface: LPDDR2
  • Clock frequency: 800 GHz
  • L1 cache: 32 KB
  • L2 cache: 1,024 KB
• GPU: PowerVR SGX543MP3
  • Cores: 3
  • Speed: 266 MHz
• Other devices in which it was integrated:
  • iPad (4th gen.) (A6X)

Apple A7

Already in the last months of 2013, the iPhone 5s was presented as the first to incorporate this chip. The main novelty was being 64-bit, a novelty with which the company was once again at the forefront of the sector with its mobile phones. It also had a co-processor called M7 that managed the movement data such as the accelerometer, gyroscope and compass. Consequently, it also incorporated some other noticeable new features in its technical data:

• Surface: 96.71 mm2
• Technology: 20 nm
• Architecture: ARMv8 (64-bit)
• CPU:
  • Cores: 2
  • Memory interface: LPDDR3
  • Clock frequency: 1.333 GHz
  • L1 cache: 64 KB
  • L2 cache: 1,024 KB
  • L3 cache: 4,096 KB
• GPU: PowerVR G6430
  • Cores: 4
  • Speed: 650 MHz

Apple A8

The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus broke in 2014 with the aesthetic and size line established by Apple to date, thereby incorporating this chip at the height of such a change. Shortly after he appeared, he was the subject of controversy for an alleged patent infringement that was finally resolved in favor of Apple in court. Its main specifications were the following:

• Surface: 89 mm2
• Technology: 20 nm
• Architecture: ARMv8A (64-bit)
• CPU:
  • Cores: 2
  • Memory interface: LPDDR3
  • Clock frequency: 1,600 GHz
  • L1 cache: 64 KB
  • L2 cache: 1,024 KB
  • L3 cache: 4,096 KB
• GPU: PowerVR Series6XT GX6450
  • Cores: 4
  • Speed: 650 MHz
• Other devices in which it was integrated:
  • iPad mini 4
  • iPod touch (6th gen.)
  • Apple TV HD
  • HomePod

Apple A9

Year 2015 and an iPhone version arrives with few changes with respect to its successors, one of the main ones being this A9 chip. The iPhone 6s and 6s Plus are the first to incorporate them, followed by the first generation iPhone SE launched in 2016. Both Samsung and TSMC are responsible for the manufacture of this chip that, for the first time, has a 6-core GPU among other outstanding features.

• Surface: 104.5 mm2
• Technology: 14 nm
• Architecture: ARMv8A (64-bit)
• CPU:
  • Cores: 2
  • Memory interface: LPDDR4
  • Clock frequency: 1,600 GHz
  • L1 cache: 64 KB
  • L2 cache: 3,072 KB
  • L3 cache: 8,192 KB
• GPU: PowerVR Series7XT GT7600
  • Cores: 6
  • Speed: 750 MHz
• Other devices in which it was integrated:
  • iPad (5th gen.)

Apple A10 Fusion

Apple’s first processor to incorporate a nickname in addition to the number, with a ‘Fusion’ with which the company promised 50% more graphics performance compared to the A9. It was integrated in 2016 in the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus . It was later added to more devices, being one of the Apple chips with the most presence in devices:

• Surface: 125 mm2
• Technology: 16 nm
• Architecture: ARMv8A (64-bit)
• CPU:
  • Cores: 4
  • Memory interface: LPDDR4
  • Clock frequency: 1,600 GHz
  • L1 cache: 64 KB
  • L2 cache: 3,072 KB
  • L3 cache: 8,192 KB
• GPU: PowerVR Series7XT GT7600
  • Cores: 6
  • Speed: 750 MHz
• Other devices in which it was integrated:
  • iPad (6th gen.)
  • iPad (7th gen.)
  • iPad Pro (10.5 ”) (A10X Fusion)
  • iPad Pro (12.9 ”1st gen.) (A10X Fusion)
  • iPod touch (7th gen.)
  • Apple TV 4K (2017)

Apple A11 Bionic

Apple made the biggest aesthetic change in the history of its smartphones in 2017, so they needed a processor to do so. Among the highlights we find that it was the first to mount a GPU owned by Apple itself. The A11 Bionic was the one that ended up being added to the iPhone X, iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus . TSMC continued as a chipmaker in this generation, incorporating the following main features:

• Surface: 87.66 mm2
• Technology: 10 nm
• Architecture: ARMv8A (64-bit)
• CPU:
  • Cores: 6
  • Memory interface: LPDDR4
  • Clock frequency: 1,600 GHz
  • L1 cache: 32 KB
  • L2 cache: 3,072 KB
  • L3 cache: 8,192 KB
• GPU:
  • Cores: 3
  • Speed: 750 MHz

Apple A12 Bionic

In 2018, this chip was presented with great fanfare, such as being the first to have a neural engine focused on machine learning and with which to get better performance in high-efficiency tasks. It was added to the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR launched at the end of that same year, with TSMC as a manufacturer. As a curious fact, a version of this chip was used in a Mac mini so that developers could prepare the transition to ARM of the brand’s computers. This chip in iPhone has these features:

• Surface: 83.27 mm2
• Technology: 7 nm
• Architecture: ARMv8A (64-bit)
• CPU:
  • Cores: 6
  • Memory interface: LPDDR4
  • Clock frequency: 1,600 GHz
  • L1 cache: 64 KB
  • L2 cache: 3,072 KB
  • L3 cache: 8,192 KB
• GPU:
  • Cores: 4
  • Speed: 1,100 MHz
• Other devices in which it was integrated:
  • iPad (8th gen.)
  • iPad Air (3rd gen.)
  • iPad mini (5th gen.)
  • iPad Pro (2018) (A12X)
  • iPad Pro (2020) (A12Z)
  • Apple TV 4K (2021)

Apple A13 Bionic

Year 2019 and Apple released this chip in three of its most promising phones in history: iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max. Later, in early 2020, it was added to the second-generation iPhone SE. It has the following characteristics:

• Surface: 83.27 mm2
• Technology: 7 nm
• Architecture: ARMv8.4A (64-bit)
• CPU:
  • Cores: 6
  • Memory interface: LPDDR4
  • Clock frequency: 1,600 GHz
  • L1 cache: 64 KB
  • L2 cache: 3,072 KB
  • L3 cache: 8,192 KB
• GPU:
  • Cores: 4
  • Speed: 1,100 MHz

Apple A14 Bionic

Until now, the last Apple microchip for its iPhone was actually released on an iPad in 2020, although a few weeks later it was presented already included in the iPhone 12, 12 mini, 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max. Their manufacturing process was somewhat slower than their predecessors due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so the manufacturer TSMC had to perform miracles to get them assembled on time.

• Surface: 88 mm2
• Technology: 5 nm
• Architecture: ARMv8 (64-bit)
• CPU:
  • Cores: 6
  • Memory interface: LPDDR4
  • Clock frequency: 1,600 GHz
  • L1 cache: 64 KB
  • L2 cache: 3,072 KB
  • L3 cache: 8,192 KB
• GPU:
  • Cores: 4
  • Speed: 1,100 MHz
• Other devices in which it was integrated:
  • iPad Air (4th gen.)

The future of iPhone microchips

No official information is known from Apple about the future of its iPhone chips. However, it is expected that we will continue to see them designing this component and the closest one will be the A15. This chip would be released in the iPhone of 2021 and some leaks from the supply chain have been able to confirm that they could have a greater number of GPU cores that would boost the graphics performance of the devices. Beyond that, little is known about him.

More in the future, more specifically in 2022 (at least) would be when we would find a hypothetical A16 chip with 5G modem. The iPhone 12 were the first of the brand to launch this connectivity in 2020, but they did so with modems manufactured and designed by Qualcomm. There are reports that confirm Apple’s work in developing its own modems with this technology and adding them to the processor, which would bring a higher internet connection speed as the main advantage over current chips.