Apple to bring LPDDR5 RAM to iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max with A16 Bionic chip built around TSMC N5P node

Leaker @VNchocoTaco, also known as ShrimpApplePro, has outlined details about the Apple's next-generation mobile chipset. Currently expected to be called the A16 Bionic, Apple is rumoured to only be using the chipset in the iPhone 14 Pro and the iPhone 14 Pro Max. In comparison, the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max are believed to retain the A15 Bionic, a 5 nm SoC with six CPU cores and 15.8 billion transistors.

According to ShrimpApplePro, the A16 Bionic will utilise the same TSMC N5P node as the A15 Bionic. Unsurprisingly, the leaker also claims that Apple will furnish the A16 Bionic with some upgrades to distinguish it from its predecessor. Specifically, the A16 Bionic should deliver improved CPU and GPU performance, although it is unclear how at this stage. Moreover, ShrimpApplePro believes that Apple will add LPDDR5 support, which should bring some performance improvements over the LPDDR4X RAM found in the iPhone 13 Pro. As iFixit showed in September, the iPhone 13 Pro relies on 6 GB of RAM sourced from SK Hynix.

Overall, it would seem that the A16 Bionic is an iterative upgrade over the A15 Bionic. Incidentally, ShrimpApplePro rules out a 4 nm node for the A16 Bionic. However, TSMC N4P is another revision of TSMC N5, the third to date. TSMC already confirmed this in October, adding that the first N4P-based products should 'tape out by the second half of 2022'. While it remains to be seen what node Apple has settled on for the A16 Bionic, the chipset will rely on some form of TSMC's 5 nm manufacturing process. The entire iPhone 14 series is expected to arrive in September, possibly alongside the Watch Series 8, among other devices. 

Purchase the Apple iPhone 13 Pro on Amazon