In a big surprise, Apple kicks off A19 Bionic development as iPhone 15 launch looms

With less than a month remaining for the iPhone 15 launch, a new report claims that Apple has already kicked off the development of the A19 Bionic SoC that will likely power the iPhone 17 series.

Apple’s A19 Bionic chipset could launch with the iPhone 17 in 2025. (Representative Image) (Unsplash)

Apple's mobile chipsets are considered to be some of the very best in the business. Until last year, all iPhones featured the latest chipset, but that changed as the Cupertino-based tech giant reserved its new A16 Bionic only for the Pro models, while the standard models featured an improved A15 Bionic. The trend is expected to continue this year too, with the iPhone 15 Pro models featuring the A17 Bionic SoC, and it would be the first mobile chip in the market fabricated on a 3nm process. With less than a month to go until launch, it is almost certain that its development is complete.

However, if a new report is to be believed, Apple has already kicked off the development of the A19 Bionic SoC that will likely power the iPhone 17 series.

Apple's A19 Bionic SoC

A user @_orangera1n posted on X (via Wccftech), “It appears that apple has started work on the A19 and M5 Pro/Max/Ultra SOCs,” while sharing a snapshot of CPU IDs of various Apple processors. For the unaware, A17 Bionic SoC is expected to power the iPhone 17 series, which isn't to launch at least until 2025. The A16 Bionic, which powers the current iPhone 14 Pro models, features 16 billion transistors. With the 3nm A17 Bionic, Apple is expected to bump up those numbers.

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As per the report, the A19 Bionic would be the first Apple processor to be manufactured on a 2nm process. In theory, it would allow for faster performance while also improving power efficiency, owing to smaller-sized transistors, allowing Apple to fit in more transistors inside each die. Since it hints at the A19 Bionic being in development, it would mean that the work on the A18 Bionic, the chip that will power the iPhone 16 series, is completed or nearing completion.

Alongside the A19 Bionic, the report claims that Apple is also developing the M5 chip for its range of Macs. The Cupertino-based tech giant is expected to reveal its first Macs powered by the M3 SoC, meaning that we could see M5-powered devices come out around the same time as the iPhone 17 launch.

Do note that all the information is based on unofficial sources and should be taken with healthy skepticism. Only the official announcement from Apple will reveal actual details about the A19 Bionic and M5 chips, which isn't expected to happen for at least a couple of years.