Definition
Apple A-series is Apple’s system-on-chip (SoC) family for iPhone and other mobile devices, integrating CPU, GPU, Neural Engine and memory on one chip. The first Apple-designed SoC, the A4, launched in 2010 with the original iPad and was later used in the iPhone 4. Apple’s description of the current chip is on the iPhone 18 Pro page.
How it works
Each generation combines CPU, GPU, a Neural Engine and memory in one package, providing the local compute and on-device intelligence for the device it powers. Notable milestones: the A7 was the first 64-bit chip in a smartphone (2013, iPhone 5S); the Neural Engine arrived with the A11 (2017); and per the official page, the A20 Pro uses “packaging inspired by our M-series chips”, has a GPU up to 40 percent faster than iPhone 17 Pro, and introduces a dual 16-core Neural Engine.
Usage
The A-series chip drives an iPhone’s everyday performance, graphics and on-device AI: photo processing, game rendering and on-device speech and vision models all depend on it. A chip is a component of the whole device — actual specifications, thermal behavior and experience also depend on the model that carries it.
Related and confusable terms
A-series and M-series are two separate Apple chip lines: A-series powers iPhone and other mobile devices, while M-series targets the Mac and related product lines; Apple contrasts the two when describing the A20 Pro’s “packaging inspired by our M-series chips”. “Apple A-series chips” also has nothing to do with Apple Watch’s “Series” naming — the watch line is called Series 9 and so on, not A-series.
Discussed on Next Token
In episode 007, discussing why web games are a good product form, 歸藏 said “这现在所有的 CPU 都过剩” (all CPUs are overpowered now), arguing phone chips already far exceed many people’s old computers, and added “我们就不说 iPhone 了，A20 Pro 那种芯片了……它甚至比你原来的综合性能要强非常非常多倍了，只是在一个手机上” (episode 007 transcript, Chinese transcript). This is an argument about phone chips making web games viable, not a review of any specific chip (full chapter).
Frequently asked questions
Who manufactures A-series chips?
Apple designs them; manufacturing is outsourced — Samsung fabricated chips through the A9, after which TSMC took over (see Wikipedia: Apple silicon).
How do A-series and M-series chips differ?
They are different Apple chip lines: A-series goes into iPhone and other mobile devices, M-series into the Mac and related products. Apple describes the A20 Pro’s packaging as “inspired by our M-series chips” (see the official page).
Which A-series chip is the latest?
A20 Pro shipped in the iPhone 18 Pro, unveiled on September 9, 2026; for models released since then, check the live information on Apple’s product pages.