Apple has officially unveiled the new iPhone 16e, equipped with the A18 chip. While this is theoretically identical to the one found in the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus, reports from DMN indicate a minor variation in the chip within the iPhone 16e, implying that this model utilizes a binned version of the chip. But what does this entail?
What is a binned chip?
Before the introduction of the iPhone 16e, there were two distinct variants of the A18 chip. The A18 Pro, featuring a 6-core CPU and a 6-core GPU, is designated for the iPhone 16 Pro models. Non-Pro versions utilize the A18 chip, which includes a 6-core CPU but only a 5-core GPU, with both variants housing 8GB of RAM.
So, what about the A18 chip in the iPhone 16e? Apple claims it comes with a 4-core GPU – two fewer than the A18 Pro and one less than the standard A18 in the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus. This indicates that the A18 chip in the iPhone 16e may indeed be a binned chip, akin to the A18 in the iPhone 16 which is likely a binned variant of the A18 Pro.
Chip binning refers to a quality control technique in chip production. Instead of discarding chips that don’t achieve peak performance across all cores, some cores are deactivated, allowing the chip to still function with fewer active cores. Apple has previously employed binned chips in their devices, such as the iPad mini 7, which features an A17 Pro chip variant with one less GPU core than the original design.
Does this imply a decrease in speed or overall performance for the iPhone 16e? Not necessarily for the average user. The CPU mirrors that of the base iPhone 16 model, which is capable of managing demanding tasks. The primary variation lies in graphics processing capabilities. To put it in perspective, the GPU in the iPhone 16 Pro is approximately 15% faster than the base A18 GPU due to the additional core.
Users who might perceive a difference are mainly those engaged in intensive activities like 3D gaming or video editing on their iPhones. Yet, for anyone upgrading from an older model, even the binned version of the A18 chip will offer a performance boost. If you’re not transitioning from an iPhone 16 or 16 Pro to the iPhone 16e, there’s likely no cause for concern.
More about iPhone 16e
In addition to the A18 chip, the iPhone 16e features a 6.1-inch OLED display, a 48-megapixel rear camera, Face ID, and a USB-C port. It also incorporates Apple’s inaugural custom 5G modem, improving energy efficiency.
Pre-orders for the iPhone 16e will kick off on Friday, February 21, with the first units expected to ship the following week on February 28. The starting price is $599 for the 128GB model, with 256GB and 512GB options available in white and black.
