We are just weeks away from the launch of Apple’s next-gen iPhones. Expected to arrive in early September 2024, the iPhone 16 series is expected to come with a number of upgrades including bigger, better displays, longer batteries, and more. Now a new report suggests that Apple is planning to unify its iPhone 16 lineup with the introduction of the A18 chip across all iPhone 16 models this year.

Recent discoveries in Apple’s backend code by Nicolas Alvarez, shared with MacRumors, suggest that the four new iPhone models will feature the same A-series chip. If this is true, it means that all iPhone 16 series, including the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max, will get the same chip – the A18, which is a significant change from Apple’s usual practice of differentiating between Pro and non-Pro models by processor.

According to Alvarez’s report, the model numbers identified in the backend—iPhone17,1 to iPhone17,5—suggest the consistent use of the A18 chip across all devices. Historically, Apple has tied its iPhone identifiers to the chip being used. For example, the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus, which have the A16 Bionic chip, have the identifiers iPhone15,4 and iPhone15,5. Meanwhile, the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, equipped with the A17 Bionic chip, are identified as iPhone16,1 and iPhone16,2.

However, despite the possible uniformity in the chip, Apple is still expected to differentiate between the standard and Pro models. One possibility is that Apple could offer variations in performance by adjusting the number of GPU cores in the chips. For example, the A18 chips in the non-Pro models could have fewer GPU cores than the A18 Pro chips in the Pro models.

Another likely possibility is that the A17 chip could be rebranded as the A18 after undergoing a new manufacturing process at TSMC. This would allow Apple to introduce the A17 design as a new generation, while also introducing a new A18 Pro chip with improved graphics and AI capabilities for the Pro models.

The integration of the A18 chip in the iPhone 16 series is also likely to be influenced by the upcoming Apple Intelligence features debuting in iOS 18. These features require a powerful chip for on-device AI processing. For now Apple has announced that, only the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max will get Apple Intelligence, but Apple aims to expand this capability to all future devices.

Meanwhile, the iPhone 16 series is also speculated to see a shift from physical buttons to capacitive, touch-sensitive buttons powered by Apple’s Taptic Engine, which simulates actual button presses via haptic feedback. The camera layout will also see changes, with the standard model getting a vertical camera array and new capture and action buttons.

Reports also suggest display improvements include a larger screen with thinner bezels for the Pro model and a possible upgrade to a 120Hz refresh rate for the standard model. Battery life is also expected to improve, with bigger batteries promising longer usage. The Pro model will also see significant camera upgrades, including a super telephoto periscope camera, a 48-megapixel ultra-wide lens, and new anti-reflective optical coating technology for better image quality.