Apple’s Bionic chips are custom chips for iPhones, iPads, and other Apple devices. The designs of these chips are from Apple but the production is by TSMC, a Taiwanese semiconductor company.
The first Bionic chip, the A4, hit the road in 2010 and iPhone 4 is the first mobile phone to use this chip. It is also Apple’s first system-on-a-chip (SoC) and it uses ARM architecture. The first iPad as well as iPod Touch also uses this chip.
In 2011, Apple introduced the A5 chip, which was used in the iPhone 4S, iPad 2, and iPad mini. It was the first Apple chip to include a dual-core processor and a quad-core graphics processing unit (GPU).
The A6 chip was introduced in 2012 and was used in the iPhone 5 and fifth-generation iPod Touch. It included a custom-designed dual-core CPU and a triple-core GPU.
The A7 chip was introduced in 2013 and was the first 64-bit processor used in a smartphone. It was used in the iPhone 5S, iPad Air, and iPad Mini 2.
The A8 chip was introduced in 2014 and was used in the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. It included a custom-designed dual-core CPU and a six-core GPU.
The A9 chip was introduced in 2015 and was used in the iPhone 6S, iPhone 6S Plus, and iPhone SE. It included a custom-designed dual-core CPU and a six-core GPU.
The A10 Fusion chip was introduced in 2016 and was used in the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. It included a quad-core CPU, with two high-performance cores and two energy-efficient cores, and a six-core GPU.
Bionic chips
The A11 Bionic chip was introduced in 2017. It was also used in the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X. It included a hexa-core CPU, with two high-performance cores and four energy-efficient cores, and an Apple-designed three-core GPU.
The A12 Bionic chip was introduced in 2018 and was used in the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR. It included a hexa-core CPU, with two high-performance cores and four energy-efficient cores, and an Apple-designed four-core GPU.
The A13 Bionic chip was introduced in 2019 and was used in the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max. It included a hexa-core CPU, with two high-performance cores and four energy-efficient cores, and an Apple-designed four-core GPU.
The A14 Bionic chip was introduced in 2020 and was used in the iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Mini, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max. It included a hexa-core CPU, with two high-performance cores and four energy-efficient cores, and an Apple-designed four-core GPU.
The A15 Bionic chip was introduced in 2021 and was used in the iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Mini, iPhone 13 Pro, and iPhone 13 Pro Max. It includes a hexa-core CPU, with two high-performance cores and four energy-efficient cores, and an Apple-designed five-core GPU.
Apple’s Bionic chips have been a critical component of its devices, providing fast and efficient performance, improved graphics, and increased battery life. Apple’s ability to design and manufacture its chips in-house has been a significant advantage in the smartphone and tablet markets.
