Code discovered in Apple's backend by Nicolás Alvarez and shared with MacRumors confirms Apple's plans to release four iPhone 16 models this year, and it indicates that the devices will all have the same A-series chip. There are mentions of new model numbers that are not associated with existing iPhones, and that have the numbering scheme Apple uses for its flagship devices.
The code includes the following iPhone identifiers:
- iPhone17,1
- iPhone17,2
- iPhone17,3
- iPhone17,4
- iPhone17,5
All five start with the same number, which suggests that Apple plans to use the same chip for them. With the iPhone 15 models, which have different chips, the internal identifiers have separate numbers.
- iPhone 15 - iPhone 15,4
- iPhone 15 Plus - iPhone 15,5
- iPhone 15 Pro - iPhone 16,1
- iPhone 15 Pro Max - iPhone 16,2
The iPhone 15 models have the A16 Bionic chip that was first used in the iPhone 14 Pro models, which had corresponding model numbers of iPhone 15,2 for the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 15,3 for the iPhone 15 Pro Max. The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max have the A17 Pro chip, hence the 16,x identifier.
Apple's iPhones typically tie identifier to chip. Everything with the A16 chip has an identifier that starts with 15, and prior devices that had an A15 chip all had an identifier starting with 14. The same goes for the 13,x identifier (A14), and the 12,x identifier (A13).
So if Apple sticks with the identifier numbering scheme it has used for years, all four iPhone 16 models will have the same chip, and that's in line with rumors and prior leaks. We've heard several rumors that the devices will share a chip, and an earlier code leak in March also confirmed the shared identifiers.
Note that there are five model numbers listed, and only four are likely to be associated with the upcoming iPhone 16 lineup. The fifth could potentially be a future iPhone SE, but there's no way to determine what that device is at this time.
While we do expect all four iPhone 16 models to use a new A18 chip, Apple could still differentiate between the standard models and the Pro models, even giving the chips separate A18 and A18 Pro names. Apple could use A18 chips with a smaller number of GPU cores (either binned or disabled) for the iPhone 16 models, while saving chips with a better GPU for the iPhone 16 Pro lineup.
It would make sense for all four iPhone 16 models and a future iPhone SE to all have the same A18 chip because of the Apple Intelligence features set to debut in iOS 18. Apple Intelligence requires a high-powered chip for the AI features to run on-device. At this time, only the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max are able to use Apple Intelligence, and Apple likely wants to make sure all future devices have the power required for machine learning and artificial intelligence tasks.
