These three major upgrades in the iPhone 18 Pro are worth paying attention to: including a 2nm chip.

With several months to go before the official release of the Apple iPhone 18 Pro, we’ve noticed three core upgrades surrounding the model that are already worth our attention.

The first upgrade is the A20 Pro chip. Unlike previous years’ relatively minor iPhone chip updates, the A20 Pro is expected to be a significant iteration.

The chip will use a 2-nanometer process and WMCM packaging technology, and its performance and energy efficiency are expected to be significantly improved.

More importantly, the Apple Intelligence feature in iOS 27 has high requirements for chip computing power. Currently, some AI features already require the A19 Pro chip to run. The A20 Pro is expected to have a significant improvement in AI task processing, which will have a more direct impact on improving the user experience of iOS 27.

The second upgrade focuses on the imaging system. The Apple iPhone 18 Pro may bring “one of the most significant imaging hardware upgrades in the series’ history.”

The main camera will feature a variable aperture design, while the telephoto lens will be equipped with a larger aperture to improve low-light shooting performance.

However, the imaging upgrades come at a cost—due to the increased size of the main camera module, the thickness of the Apple iPhone 18 Pro is expected to increase by about 2 millimeters or more. Details regarding improvements to the main camera beyond the variable aperture are currently unclear, but based on available information, this generation of Pro models has indeed invested heavily in imaging.

The third upgrade is the C2 self-developed baseband chip.

Starting with the iPhone 16e, Apple gradually moved away from Qualcomm baseband chips, and the iPhone Air and iPhone 17e continued this trend, but the iPhone 17 Pro still uses Qualcomm solutions.

The Apple iPhone 18 Pro will be the first to feature Apple’s next-generation C2 modem, and the significance of this chip goes beyond just performance. The C2 is expected to be a landmark product marking Apple’s complete replacement of Qualcomm’s solutions, and its capabilities should reach or even exceed the level of current mainstream modems.

Furthermore, the C2 is rumored to support 5G satellite communication, providing underlying support for various satellite-related functions. Apple has previously demonstrated that its self-developed baseband can bring unique advantages such as improved battery life and privacy features; whether the C2 will further enhance these aspects is also worth watching.

Overall, the Apple iPhone 18 Pro features substantial upgrades in three core areas: chip, imaging, and communication. Compared to the more conservative pace of updates in recent Pro models, this generation represents a significantly larger leap forward.