Apple Intelligence will bring the A18 chip to entry-level iPhones

We’ve been hearing rumors about a new generation of the iPhone SE for some time now, and a report this morning gave us more details about what to expect from the new model. One interesting detail about the recent leaks is the fact that the new iPhone SE may have the A18 chip, and this suggests that Apple wants to bring Apple Intelligence features even to entry-level iPhones and iPads.

New iPhone SE may be powered by A18 chip

Leaker Ice Universe, who has a reliable track record when it comes to leaks about Apple, has revealed the likely specifications of the fourth generation iPhone SE, which is expected to be announced sometime next year. We already expected things like a more modern design reminiscent of the iPhone 14, Face ID, and USB-C. However, iPhone SE 4 will have another surprise.

According to the leaker, the new iPhone SE will be powered by the A18 chip, with perhaps 6GB or 8GB of RAM. This will be the same chip that will power the entire iPhone 16 lineup, including the non-Pro models.

In the past, both Pro and non-Pro models had the same family of chips, although with some differences in CPU and GPU cores. But since iPhone 14, Apple has started to further distinguish the Pro models in terms of performance, keeping the new chip exclusive to the more expensive versions.

Apple intelligence will further boost hardware upgrades

But this year, Apple Intelligence happened, and only iPhones with the A17 Pro chip (which means iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max) will get the new AI features with iOS 18. That’s probably why all the new iPhone 16 models will get the A18 chip, because otherwise Apple would sell new iPhones that don’t have access to the latest features the company wants to promote.

Historically, the iPhone SE has always received the chip from the latest iPhones, so this news doesn’t exactly come as a surprise. But given that it’s been a while since Apple updated the SE, the company could choose an older chip (like the A16 Bionic) rather than the A18. Apple wants to use AI features as a selling point.

For instance, rumors about a new HomePod with a touchscreen also hint at it being powered by the A18 chip. This also leads me to believe that the company will eventually update the entry-level iPad and iPad mini with its latest chip. Although Apple Intelligence isn’t coming to older devices, we’ll probably see all the new iPhones and iPads with AI features.

Would you buy a new device just to try Apple Intelligence? Let us know in the comments section below.