Processor wafers – Image Credit: TSMC
The next iPhone chip, the A19, could be as fast as Qualcomm’s upcoming Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 chipset, but Apple isn’t pursuing that in favor of preserving battery life.
The chip inside a smartphone is a major component, as it is core to the performance of the mobile device. However, while the industry drives for the use of faster chips, Apple is doing so with an eye to battery consumption.
According to serial leaker “Fixed Focus Digital” in a June 21 Weibo post, it is believed that Apple’s A19 chip could be as fast as the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite 2. The Elite 2 is a yet-to-launch chipset that follows the Snapdragon 8 Elite, used in high-performance Android smartphones.
The leaker says that the A19 should be able to “catch up” with the Elite 2, due to having a higher level of Instructions Per Cycle (IPC) and better efficiency. However, they warn that the performance is not much higher than the Qualcomm competitor.
While Apple observers will be happy to hear the performance similarity, the actual result in consumer devices could be lower. The leaker adds that Apple still focuses on PPA (Power, Performance, Area) in its chip designs, and prefers to work with energy efficiency in mind.
Faster does not equal better
While Fixed Focus Digital has an iffy track record when it comes to rumors, and sometimes goes against the grain when it comes to the opinions of other leakers, there’s a chance of being correct here.
The tech industry in general looks at chips from a viewpoint of performance metrics, with benchmark tools helping to declare one chip as better than the other. This is a very simple assessment of a chip’s capabilities, and while handy, it ignores the other properties a chip can possess.
It’s one thing to have the fastest chip in a smartphone, but it means nothing if it drains the battery faster and leaves an iPhone without power by the end of the day. That’s before you take into account that such tests don’t look into things like computational photography features, or many other AI-related features.
If the leak’s claim about Apple’s approach is genuine, Apple could well have a chip that does as well as its main rival this fall, but instead prioritizes other areas.
Other rumors and claims about Apple’s iPhone 17 generation also lean into the power-saving philosophy. Specifically, the compact battery inside the iPhone 17 Air.
Rumors say that the iPhone 17 Air’s lightweight body could result in a much smaller battery than usual. To combat this shortfall, leakers have claimed that Apple could be using a new advanced silicon battery, as well as raising the prospect of the return of the battery case.
