IPhone 16e Uses Binned Version Of Chip A1, What Does It Mean?

JAKARTA - Apple has just announced the iPhone 16e Wednesday, February 19, which is equipped with an A18 chip. In theory, it is the same chip used on the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus. However, as 9to5Mac has reported, there is little difference in the chip inside the iPhone 16e, which suggests that Apple is using a binned version of the chip on this cheaper model. But, what exactly does that mean?

Prior to the iPhone 16e, there were already two different versions of the A18 chip. One of them, called the A18 Pro, has a 6-core CPU and a 6-core GPU. As the name suggests, this chip is used in the iPhone 16 Pro model. For the non-Pro model, Apple uses an A18 chip which also has a 6-core CPU, but with a 5-core GPU. Both versions are both equipped with 8GB RAM.

Then, what about the A18 chip on the iPhone 16e? According to Apple, this chip has a GPU 4-core two cores less than the A18 Pro and one core less than the A18 used on the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus. Chances are, the A18 chip on the iPhone 16e is a binned version (such as the A18 chip on the iPhone 16 which is likely a binned version of the A18 Pro).

Chip binning is a quality control process in chip manufacturing. Instead of disposing of chips that do not achieve maximum performance in all cores, some cores are deactivated so chips can still be used with fewer cores. This is not the first time Apple has used a binned chip in its other examples are iPad mini 7, which has a version of the A17 Pro chip with one GPU core less than the original version.

Not for most users. The CPU used remains the same as the standard iPhone 16, which is strong enough to handle heavy tasks. The main difference lies in graphic processing. In comparison, the GPU on the iPhone 16 Pro is about 15% faster than the standard A18 GPU because it has one extra core.

Users who may feel the difference are those who often play 3D games or edit videos on iPhones. However, for users who move from old iPhone models, even the binned version of the A18 chip will still feel faster. If you don't switch from iPhone 16 or 16 Pro to iPhone 16e, then there's nothing to worry about.

In addition to using the A18 chip, the iPhone 16e has a 6.1-inch OLED display, a 48-megapixel rear camera, Face ID, and a USB-C port. This phone is also the first iPhone to use Apple's own 5G modem for better power efficiency.

The pre-order for the iPhone 16e will begin on Friday, February 21. The first shipment is scheduled for February 28. Prices start at $599 (Rp9.1 million) for variants with 128GB of storage. There are also 256GB and 512GB options in two colors: white and black.