iPhone 17 Leak: A19 Chip Coming To Base Models? What We Know So Far

iPhone 17 Leak: As Apple continues to refine its iPhone lineup for next year, a new report has added an unexpected twist to what we can expect under the hood. According to a report by 9To5Mac, the base iPhone 17 and the new iPhone 17 Air may both feature the upcoming A19 chip. This move would mark a notable change from Apple's usual strategy, where the most powerful silicon is reserved for the Pro-tier devices.

What the New Leak Says About the Chipset Strategy

The report cites analyst Jeff Pu from GF Securities, who claims that both the iPhone 17 and the iPhone 17 Air will come equipped with the standard A19 chip. At the same time, the more expensive iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are expected to receive a more advanced version of the chip, known as the A19 Pro.

This approach could indicate a continuation of Apple's tiered chipset strategy, but with a slightly smaller performance gap between the base and Pro variants. Until now, it was widely assumed that the A19 chip would be reserved solely for the higher-end Pro models. If Pu’s information is accurate, then the inclusion of A19 in the base models could offer significant performance benefits to a broader range of users.

A New GPU Variant Also Tipped

Adding further intrigue, the report notes a Weibo-based leak from Fixed Focus Digital that offers more detail on the GPU configuration. It claims the iPhone 17 Air may use a five-core GPU version of the A19 Pro chip. This could be a less powerful variant compared to the six-core GPU expected in the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, though still a notable step up for a non-Pro iPhone.

While there is no official confirmation from Apple at this stage, these rumours suggest that the company might be exploring ways to deliver a more consistent user experience across its range. The move to equip the base iPhones with more capable silicon could lead to performance improvements in areas such as battery optimisation, display responsiveness, and AI processing.

For now, the industry is watching closely. If the rumoured changes prove accurate, 2025's iPhone lineup might reflect a more unified standard in performance than in previous years. Apple typically unveils new iPhones in September, so confirmation on these specifications may not be far off.

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