For months, it's been reported that next year's iPhone 17 will feature a new 2-nanometer processor to run Apple's newest smartphone. However, a new leak (spotted by MacRumors) on Weibo from "Mobile phone chip expert" says that the A20, which will power the iPhone 18 lineup, will be the first ever 2nm chipset.
MPCE wrote that the 2026 iPhone (Google translated from Chinese), "will adopt a new packaging method...change from the original InFo to WMCM packaging. The memory will also be upgraded to 12GB and the entire network will announce it 2 years in advance."
InFo and WMCM refer to Integrated Fan-Out packaging and Water-Level Multi-Chip Module packaging. The difference between the two is that InFo enables integration of components within the packaging. The focus here is on single-die packaging and memory is attached to the main system-on-chip.
WMCM, meanwhile, integrates multiple components in the same packaging. It means that you can have more complex systems where the CPU, GPU, DRAM and other parts are on the same package, which can be stacked vertically or side by side. It's supposed to a be more flexible arrangement.
As for the 2nm and 3nm nomenclature, it refers to the chip architecture. As the number gets smaller, it means that the chips can feature smaller transistors. The smaller the transistor, the more that you can shove onto a chip. In general, this leads to increased processing power, speed and efficiency.
Apple has been obsessed with making thinner and thinner devices. WMCM production hints at a way for the company to get closer to the rumored iPhone 17 Air, or possibly the iPhone 18 Air.
While the iPhone 17 has been tipped to feature a 2nm chip, recently supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo started reporting that next year's iPhone would feature an "enhanced" 3nm processor. He also said that only the 2026 iPhone 18 Pro models would get the next-generation 2nm chip mostly due to cost concerns.
It's unclear from MPCE's post if the 2nm system-on-chip will be available on every iPhone 18 model or just the Pro models, as predicted by Kuo.
Reportedly, Apple's chip partner, TSMC will start manufacturing 2nm processors in 2025 with Apple expected to be the first company to utilize that architecture in a smartphone.
Allegedly, MPCE is a fairly reliable leaker having predicted the correct chips in the iPhone 15 series and that Apple would develop an AI server processor with TSMC.
More from Tom's Guide
