iOS 18 Code Leak Reveals All-New Chip Coming to iPhones, Apple TV, and HomePod Mini
A new leak has revealed several of Apple's next-generation chips coming to future iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and HomePod mini models.
Last month, an individual in China uploaded a YouTube video (with English subtitles) of an alleged iPhone 16 engineering prototype from last year. According to a MacRumors tipster, the device is running an internal build of iOS 18 from March 2024, but it is a non-UI version, meaning that you cannot load the Home Screen or other interfaces.
Within the code for this internal iOS 18 build, there are codenames and identifiers for many upcoming Apple chips, according to the video and our tipster:
- A19 chip for the iPhone 17 Air, and likely iPhone 17e
- A19 Pro chip for the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max
- M5 chip for the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, Mac mini, iMac, iPad Pro, and Vision Pro
- M5 Pro chip for the MacBook Pro and Mac mini
- S11 chip for the Apple Watch Series 11, Apple Watch Ultra 3, and Apple Watch SE 3
- C2 modem for the iPhone 17e, likely the entire iPhone 18 lineup, and more
- Proxima, the codename for an all-new Apple-designed Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip for the next Apple TV and HomePod mini models and more
Most of those are obvious one-number-higher-than-currently chips, but the all-new "Proxima" chip is a little more interesting. The chip was first reported on last year by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, and he said that it would be included in new Apple TV and HomePod mini models launching later this year. He also expects at least some iPhone 17 models to use the chip, along with future iPad and Mac models starting next year.
Similar to how Apple ditched Intel for Mac processors, and how it has started transitioning away from Qualcomm for iPhone modems, the company's planned Wi-Fi and Bluetooth combo chip will allow it to replace a chip that is currently supplied by Broadcom. Apple's chip is expected to support Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 7, which would be an upgrade for the Apple TV (currently on Wi-Fi 6) and the HomePod mini (currently on Wi-Fi 4).
Our tipster also claimed that Apple has tested a Mac Pro with an M3 Ultra chip, but it is unclear if it will be released at this point. They also uncovered evidence that Apple has no plans to release an M4 Ultra chip, as the company already strongly implied, so it is possible that the Mac Pro might not be updated until an M5 Ultra chip is ready.
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