Apple is making waves once again with its upcoming A20 chip, set to debut exclusively in the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and the company’s rumored foldable flagship, tentatively dubbed the iPhone 18 Fold.
What’s the big deal? The A20 will be the first Apple chip to utilize TSMC’s ultra-advanced 2nm process alongside a cutting-edge Wafer-Level Multi-Chip Module (WMCM) packaging design.
This marks a significant leap in chip engineering. WMCM allows Apple to maintain a compact chip footprint while stacking in multiple components-like CPU, GPU, and memory-at the wafer level. The result? Chips that are smaller, more power-efficient, and offer incredible performance per watt. And yes, this tech marvel will only be available in the higher-end models, giving them a substantial edge over the standard iPhone 18 variants.
TSMC has reportedly started prepping its production line at Chiayi AP7 in Taiwan to manufacture these advanced chipsets. Mass production is expected to ramp up in 2026, with capacity reaching 50,000 wafers per month by the end of that year.
Performance-wise, the A20 is rumored to be 15% faster than the A19 while drawing the same amount of power. That’s a big win in mobile computing. But don’t expect a RAM bump-Apple is sticking with 12GB of RAM across the Pro lineup.
As for the base models of the iPhone 18, it’s still unclear whether they’ll benefit from this packaging innovation. Apple may stick to the older Integrated Fan-Out (InFo) packaging to keep costs down. We’ll find out more in Q4 2026 when Apple unveils the entire iPhone 18 family.
For now, it’s clear: if you want the full power of Apple’s next-gen silicon, you’ll need to go Pro-or Fold.
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