Apple announced the M6 chip last week, just ahead of its September iPhone event, providing the clearest indication yet of what the A20 will bring to the iPhone 18 lineup. Apple silicon generations share much of their architecture across the A-series and the M-series, so a new A-series chip normally functions as a partial preview of the M-series chip that follows it. This year the order reversed; the M6 was revealed on August 25, ahead of the A20 Pro expected in the iPhone 18 Pro this month. Recent reports place the A20 Pro at up to 18% faster and up to 30% more power efficient than the A19 Pro, which is broadly similar to the M6 over the M5. Apple's First 2nm iPhone Chip The M6 is Apple's first chip built on TSMC's 2nm (N2) process, with the second almost certain to be the A20. Being a smaller manufacturing process, N2 has higher transistor density, allowing Apple to pack more performance into a smaller area. Apple has historically debuted new nodes on the A-series, since iPhone volume validates yields, so introducing N2 in an $899 Mac mini represents a change. As such, reports that the A20 and A20 Pro will move to N2 are now supported by a shipping product rather than analyst predictions. The consequence for the iPhone event is that the "Apple's first 2nm chip" claim is no longer available. Dual Neural Engine? The iPhone's Neural Engine has remained at 16 cores and approximately 35 trillion operations per second since the A17 Pro, spanning three generations. The M6 introduces a Dual 16-core Neural Engine, which Apple says system frameworks can address simultaneously for up to 2x the peak compute of previous generations. The change corresponds with the reported move to WMCM packaging , which integrates memory onto the same wafer as the CPU, GPU, and Neural Engine to shorten the path between them. It is possible that die area and thermal constraints may limit a dual engine to the A20 Pro. GPU AI Gains Are Now Incremental Apple said the M5 delivered over 4x the peak GPU compute for AI compared to the M4, reflecting the introduction of Neural Accelerators within each GPU core. The M6 is rated at nearly 30% over the M5. The A19 Pro recorded a comparable 4x improvement on the iPhone 17 Pro last September for the same architectural reason. Second-generation Neural Accelerators consequently appear to represent a refinement rather than another step change, suggesting the A20 Pro will not repeat the A19 Pro's headline figure. Graphics Improvements Should Carry Across The M6 adds 50% increased geometry rates, an updated shader core architecture, revised Dynamic Caching, and hardware-accelerated ray tracing. These are architectural changes and comparable graphics work has historically appeared across both the A-series and M-series within the same generation. Memory Bandwidth Suggests a Modest A20 Gain Memory bandwidth determines how quickly data moves between the memory and the processor, and it is the main constraint on running large language models on device. The M6 provides up to 170GB/s, which Apple describes as a 10% increase over the M5's 153.6GB/s. That increase is small enough to indicate Apple is using a faster grade of the same LPDDR5X memory rather than moving to the newer LPDDR6 standard, which would have delivered a far larger jump. Reports indicate Apple is sourcing high-speed LPDDR5X from Samsung for the ‌iPhone 18‌ lineup, and the M6 is consistent with that. The implication for the A20 is that memory bandwidth is unlikely to improve dramatically. The A19 Pro is rated at 76.8GB/s, and a similar 10% uplift would take the A20 Pro to roughly 85GB/s. Any meaningful gain in how quickly the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ loads and runs on-device models is therefore more likely to come from WMCM packaging shortening the distance data travels than from the memory itself. AV1 Encode Remains Absent The M6 Media Engine supports hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes, and ProRes RAW, with AV1 decode but no AV1 encode, matching the M5. The omission on a new process node in a desktop chip makes its inclusion in the A20 Pro highly unlikely. Related Roundups: iPhone 18 , iPhone 18 Pro Tag: Apple Silicon Related Forum: iPhone This article, " iPhone 18 Pro: Everything M6 Tells Us About the A20 Chip " first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums
After years of rumors, the highly anticipated foldable iPhone is almost here, but that's not all we're expecting to see at next week's big event, and we've got full coverage of expectations for the "Surprise and Shine" event. Beyond the event, this week also saw John Ternus take over from Tim Cook as Apple CEO, while we learned a bit more about what's coming in iOS 27 and how Apple has been trying to respond to massive demand for its desktop Macs amid the surge in AI computing, so read on below for all of the details! Top Stories iPhone Ultra, iPhone 18 Pro, and More: Apple's September 9 Event Preview Apple's September event will take place on Wednesday, September 9, at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time. At the event, Apple will announce its 2026 iPhone lineup, and this year is a big one. Along with the slab-style iPhones we've been using for years, Apple is going to debut its first foldable device. We'll also get new Apple Watches, a new set of AirPods, and possibly some other surprises. Everything we expect to see at the "Surprise and Shine" event is recapped in our event guide and overview video, so make sure to check it out. Read John Ternus' First Memo to Apple Employees as CEO This week marked the end of an era, with Tim Cook stepping down as Apple CEO after 15 years and hardware engineering chief John Ternus taking over the reins . Cook will remain active with Apple as Executive Chair. In his first memo to employees as CEO , Ternus thanked employees for a warm welcome, expressed thanks to Cook for his contributions to Apple and assisting with the transition, and shared excitement about the future including "a huge launch" next week . iPhone 18 Pro Pre-Orders May Start at an Unusual Time Following next Wednesday's event, pre-orders for the new iPhone hardware may start at an unusual time . Pre-orders for the new iPhone models typically start at 5:00 a.m. Pacific Time on the Friday immediately following the event, but this year that falls on the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. As it did back in 2015 when pre-orders would also have fallen on the 11th, Apple will reportedly push things back this year and begin accepting pre-orders at midnight Pacific Time on Saturday, September 12. iOS 27 Introduces New 'iPhone Handoff' Feature Back at WWDC in June, Apple made the briefest of mentions about iOS 27 offering the ability to share a phone number between devices, and now we know how that feature will work. MacRumors forum member pdfu this week shared a video showing how users will set up the feature, dubbed iPhone Handoff, from the Cellular section of the Settings app. iPhone Handoff will require carrier support, with the user's main eSIM remaining on their primary phone and a companion eSIM being sent to another iPhone. Once activated, a single phone number will be used across both devices, with the phone number automatically switching back and forth to whichever device is unlocked at the moment. Foldable iPhone Ultra Likely Has MagSafe Charging In addition to the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, next week's event will also see the long-awaited introduction of Apple's first foldable iPhone. The device will sacrifice a few features in order to enable its ultra-thin profile, and until recently it was thought that MagSafe charging might be one of those things. In a recent interview with Tom's Guide , however, Bloomberg 's Mark Gurman says "all indications" point toward MagSafe support being included on the phone . Apple Caught Off Guard by AI Demand for Mac Mini and Mac Studio Apple's unusually timed announcement of new Mac mini and Mac Studio models last week was driven by unexpectedly strong enterprise appetite for AI hardware , according to The Information . Apple normally releases new Mac models in the fall, closer to October or November, but Apple pulled Mac announcements ahead of the anticipated arrival of new iPhone models as it has sought to meet strong demand for its desktop Macs. Apple highlighted the Mac mini and Mac Studio's shift toward business buyers back in June, with a "Business at the Park" event involving executives from major companies Ford, Disney, and Anthropic. The Mac mini was said to be the "darling" of the event. A surge in demand for Mac hardware to run AI models has coincided with the global memory shortage, leaving many Mac mini and Mac Studio configurations out of stock for months and making the new models a priority to allow Apple to offer improved performance and higher production volumes. MacRumors Newsletter Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view. So if you want to have top stories like the above recap delivered to your email inbox each week, subscribe to our newsletter ! Tag: Top Stories This article, " Top Stories: 'Surprise and Shine' Apple Event Preview, John Ternus Takes Over, and More " first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums
Apple's September event will take place on Wednesday, September 9 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time. Apple will announce its 2026 iPhone lineup, and this year is a big one. Along with the slab-style iPhones we've been using for years, Apple is going to debut its first foldable device. We'll also get new Apple Watches, a new set of AirPods, and possibly some other surprises. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Everything we expect to see at the "Surprise and Shine" event is below. Foldable iPhone Apple's 2026 iPhone lineup will include its first foldable device. We don't know what Apple will call it, but rumors suggest it might be named the iPhone Ultra . Apple has designed a book-style foldable that has an iPad-like layout when it's opened up. It will have a ~5.5-inch OLED outer display, which is what you'll use when the iPhone is closed. It will unfold into a larger ‌OLED‌ display that's approximately 7.8 inches. The design is wider than it is tall when it's open, and you can picture it as something like an iPad mini that folds in half. Samsung's recent Galaxy Z Fold8 matches the foldable iPhone rumors, so it may be the best look at the size and layout of Apple's device. Apple wanted a crease-free design, but that doesn't seem to be possible with a foldable yet. The ‌iPhone Ultra‌ will instead have a minimal crease and a durable liquid metal hinge. Foldables are delicate and hinges can be a weak point, so Apple focused on durability. Rumors indicate Apple could have some tricks to keep the crease less visible over time, such as optically clear adhesive that will fill in any micro-cracks caused by repeated folding. When unfolded, the ‌iPhone Ultra‌ could be as thin as 4.5mm, making it Apple's thinnest iPhone to date. That would make it 9mm when folded, which is close to the thickness of the 8.75mm iPhone 17 Pro Max. With a chassis that thin, Apple had to make design compromises. There is reportedly no space for the TrueDepth camera system for Face ID , so it's going to use Touch ID instead. There will be a ‌Touch ID‌ side button, similar to the iPad Air and ‌iPad mini‌. Though ‌Face ID‌ isn't included, there will be front cameras for both the inner and outer displays. Apple also didn't have room for a three-lens rear camera system, so the ‌iPhone Ultra‌ won't have a telephoto lens. Rumors suggest it will have an Ultra Wide lens and a Wide lens located on the back of the device, so the rear camera works whether the ‌iPhone Ultra‌ is folded or unfolded. It was unclear if MagSafe would be included because leaked dummy models didn't feature a magnetic ring, but Bloomberg says ‌MagSafe‌ charging will indeed be a feature . The ‌iPhone Ultra‌ will have a 2nm A20 Pro chip. The A20 Pro is expected to be around 18 percent faster and up to 30 percent more power efficient than the A19 Pro, and it could have a 7-core GPU , a wider memory interface, and a larger L2 cache for its efficiency cores. We're expecting 12GB of RAM. Apple's 2026 iPhones could use its house-designed C2 modem, which is expected to be faster and more efficient than the C1X. It's not yet clear if Apple has added mmWave technology to the C2, and if it hasn't, foldable iPhone models sold in the U.S. could use Qualcomm modems instead. mmWave 5G isn't widely used outside of the U.S., but it is an expected feature for U.S. iPhones. The other alternative is limiting the foldable iPhone to sub–6GHz 5G speeds worldwide. Each half of the ‌iPhone Ultra‌ will have a battery inside, and it could have a total capacity in the 5,400 to 5,800 mAh range. The ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ Max has a 5,088 mAh battery for comparison. Apple isn't taking risks with color. The ‌iPhone Ultra‌ will come in silver/white and a second color that's been described as a very deep shade of indigo that's close to black. Software could make or break the ‌iPhone Ultra‌, and Apple has been telling developers to design their apps for a variety of sizes and aspect ratios to accommodate the two foldable screens. The ‌iPhone Ultra‌ is likely to support multitasking, side-by-side apps, and sidebars, much like the iPad . Apple's first foldable won't be cheap. According to rumors, it will cost at least $2,000, and higher-capacity models could be upwards of $2,500. iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max The iPhone 18 Pro models will look a lot like the ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ models, with no major design changes expected. There are rumors that the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max might be a little bit thicker and heavier because of a larger battery , but ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ cases are expected to fit the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ models. The camera plateau could be slightly thicker to accommodate a new variable aperture lens. Apple has new colors planned, including a dark cherry shade, light blue, and silver. Rumors suggest there won't be a black ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ option. With the ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ models, there's a clear color contrast between the frosted glass back and the aluminum casing, but that might be more subtle with the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌. While the overall shape isn't being updated, the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ and Pro Max could have a smaller Dynamic Island . There were early rumors about under-display ‌Face ID‌ with no Dynamic Island at all, but that's not going to happen. There may be a noticeable increase in battery life due to the larger capacity battery rumored for the 18 Pro Max (5,567 mAh), plus efficiency improvements from the 2nm A20 Pro chip it's supposed to get and an upgrade in display technology. Rumors say Apple is using an LTPO+ display that's more efficient than the current ‌OLED‌ display. Apple plans to upgrade the main rear camera with a DSLR-like variable aperture , giving users more control over the light that reaches the lens. An option for a smaller aperture in bright lighting could improve exposure, while a larger aperture in lower lighting conditions would let in more light to reduce grain and produce sharper images. A variable aperture also gives more control over background blur. Some rumors suggest this might be a feature exclusive to the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max, but it's not clear if that's accurate. Apple could use a three-layer stacked image sensor developed by Samsung, which would make the camera more responsive and improve low-light performance. The Telephoto lens could have a wider aperture to let in more light, but no changes are rumored for the Ultra Wide lens or the front-facing camera. There might be changes to the Camera Control button. Apple is supposedly simplifying it to eliminate the capacitive layer that lets you swipe to adjust camera settings on the button. As with the foldable iPhone, some or all of the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ models could get Apple's C2 modem, but again, it's possible U.S. models will have Qualcomm modems for mmWave 5G. Compared to the ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ models, the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ models will be more expensive . Apple is paying more for memory and storage, and prices for Macs and iPads already went up. We could see a price increase ranging from $100 to $300 . Apple Watch Series 12 The Apple Watch Series 12 won't design changes, but Apple could bring back the ceramic case option . We're expecting an updated processor that could bring improvements to health and fitness tracking. Apple is testing a feature that would let the heart rate sensor continuously collect data throughout the day, powering a new Health app feature that could show wellness-related info similar to what the Oura Ring offers. Apple Watch Ultra 4 Like the Apple Watch Series 12, the Apple Watch Ultra 4 will have no major changes. It's likely to get the same upgraded processor and related changes. AirPods 5 References to AirPods 5 were found in the macOS 26.7 release candidate , and the new earbuds could launch alongside the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ models. Apple could add an updated H3 chip for improved sound quality and lower latency, and we're likely to still get an ANC version and a non-ANC version. Possible Product Launches Home hub - Apple is working on a home hub with a 7-inch square display, an integrated camera, presence detection sensors, and more. It will control smart home devices, but it will also run apps. Rumors suggest it can be used to make video calls, play content, and interact with Siri AI, the new version of ‌Siri‌ in iOS 27 . Apple has been waiting to launch the home hub because ‌Siri‌ AI is a central feature of the new device. Apple TV 4K - There's a new Apple TV with a faster processor in the works, and it could come at the September event. No design changes are expected, but an updated chip could support ‌Siri‌ AI and new gameplay features. There are also signs of a new remote in Apple code . HomePod mini - The HomePod mini is due for a refresh, and it's also expected to get a faster processor. We haven't heard word of design changes, but it could come in new colors. Software Updates At the September 9 event, Apple will announce the release dates for ‌iOS 27‌, iPadOS 27 , macOS Golden Gate , tvOS 27, watchOS 27 , and visionOS 27. Apple will also likely seed release candidate versions of the updates to developers and public beta testers following the event. Based on historical release timelines, ‌iOS 27‌ and its sister updates could come out as soon as September 14. What Not to Expect There are several other products rumored to be launching before the end of 2026, but they'll likely come at a second event in October or November. There's also a notable omission from the lineup, because Apple is going to delay the iPhone 18 . iPhone 18 - The standard ‌iPhone 18‌ will not launch in September 2026, with Apple instead planning to debut it in spring 2027 alongside the iPhone 18e and the iPhone Air 2. In the fall, we're only getting the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌, ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max, and foldable iPhone. Apple Watch SE 4 - There won't be a new Apple Watch SE 4 this year. M6 MacBook Pro - A new entry-level MacBook Pro with an M6 chip is coming before the end of the year, but not at the September event. M6 iMac - There's also an M6 iMac rumored to be coming in 2026, but Apple is likely to hold a Mac event to announce it, or do it via press release at a later date. OLED MacBook Pro - We've been waiting on an ‌OLED‌ touchscreen ‌MacBook Pro‌, and it's rumored for late 2026 or early 2027. It's not a candidate for Apple's September event. OLED iPad mini - There's an ‌OLED‌ ‌iPad mini‌ in development, and it's expected to launch before the end of October. It's another one that's unlikely for an iPhone event. Apple's New CEO New Apple CEO John Ternus has presented at Apple events before, but the iPhone event will be the first he hosts as CEO in place of Tim Cook . Cook was Apple's CEO for 15 years, so a transition to Ternus leading an event is a major change. Cook is now Apple's executive chairman, and he may not make an appearance during the event at all. iPhone Preorders Apple almost always holds preorders on the Friday after an event, but this year, that Friday is 9/11. It's unlikely Apple will do iPhone preorders on Friday because of the date, so orders could happen on Saturday instead. The last time iPhone preorders overlapped with the 9/11 date in 2015, Apple pushed orders to Saturday. If Apple follows the same pattern, the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ models and the ‌iPhone Ultra‌ could be available for preorder on Saturday, September 12. Back in 2015, Apple started preorders at 12:01 a.m. Pacific Time, but in recent years, preorders have started at 5:00 a.m. Pacific Time. Preorders this year could take place at 5:00 a.m. on September 12. The new iPhones will likely launch on Friday, September 18, regardless of preorder date. How to Watch Apple's "Surprise and Shine" event will start at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time on Wednesday, September 9. Apple will livestream the event on its website , on YouTube , and through the ‌Apple TV‌ app on supported devices. For those unable to watch the livestream, MacRumors will have full event coverage on MacRumors.com and the MacRumorsLive X account . We'll also take a much closer look at all of the new products after the event. Related Roundup: iPhone 18 Pro Tag: iPhone Ultra This article, " iPhone Ultra, iPhone 18 Pro, and More: Apple's September 9 Event Preview " first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums
