The A20 Pro chip tipped for the iPhone 18 Pro is 18% faster and up to 30% more efficient than the A19 Pro, according to a new leak — and the iPhone 18 Pro price in UAE is expected to climb past AED 5,799 when the phone launches next month, per Gulf News estimates.
The figures come from Weibo tipster Fixed Focus Digital, who says the chip is built on TSMC’s first mass-production GAA (gate-all-around) 2nm process. The structural change is the main event: TSMC’s 2nm node moves from FinFET to GAA nanosheet transistors, a design that controls current leakage more tightly at smaller geometries. The payoff is an efficiency uplift — roughly 30% lower draw at comparable workloads — while still delivering the raw performance gain.
The speed gain is modest in isolation, but it arrives alongside the efficiency jump rather than trading one for the other. Macworld, covering the same leak, advises treating the numbers as unverified tipster claims until Apple’s September event.
Why the A20 Pro chip costs more
A 2nm wafer costs significantly more to produce than its 5nm and 3nm predecessors, and the rest of the bill is rising too. GF Securities analyst Jeff Pu estimates the iPhone 18 Pro’s component costs are up 40% year-on-year, driven by pricier NAND, tighter DRAM supply and the expensive new process itself.
With the global DRAM shortage putting further pressure on supply before the phone has even launched, the rumoured $1,399 asking price for the iPhone 18 Pro makes a disappointing kind of sense. Apple is expected to reveal the lineup at its September 8 event, alongside the foldable iPhone Ultra and several other products — eight items in total, per our earlier round-up.
What the iPhone 18 Pro price in UAE could be
Current iPhone 17 Pro pricing on apple.ae starts at AED 4,699 for the 256GB model. If the $250–300 component cost increase maps to regional pricing — and it generally does — the iPhone 18 Pro price in UAE could land between AED 5,799 and AED 5,999, per Gulf News estimates. The Pro Max could push toward AED 6,199 to AED 6,399.
The numbers are speculative until Apple confirms local pricing, but the direction is consistent.
Source · Gulf News UAE analysis
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When will the iPhone 18 Pro launch?
Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 18 Pro at its September 8 event, alongside the foldable iPhone Ultra and several other products. Availability typically follows within days to a couple of weeks of the announcement.
What is the A20 Pro chip?
The A20 Pro is Apple’s next flagship chip, expected to power the iPhone 18 Pro. It is tipped to be built on TSMC’s first mass-production 2nm process with gate-all-around (GAA) transistors, delivering around 18% higher performance and 30% better power efficiency than the A19 Pro.
How much will the iPhone 18 Pro cost in the UAE?
UAE pricing has not been confirmed. Gulf News estimates the iPhone 18 Pro could start between AED 5,799 and AED 5,999, up from AED 4,699 for the current iPhone 17 Pro, as 2nm chip costs and the DRAM shortage push component prices up.
