iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max: A17 Pro GPU Brings Unprecedented Graphics Performance
During the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max announcement today, the new A17 Pro chipset was introduced. It features a brand new GPU called “Pro-Class” by Apple.
What does that mean?
According to Apple, the A17 Pro chipset brings the biggest GPU redesign in the history of the iPhone. The company claims that the peak graphics performance has been increased by 20% compared to the previous A16 Bionic generation. Interestingly, this improvement in performance doesn’t come at the expense of energy efficiency. In fact, Apple states that the efficiency and sustained performance during demanding operations have been enhanced. This is made possible by the cutting-edge 3nm extreme ultraviolet lithography technology used in the A17 Pro chipset.
The A17 Pro GPU
Moving on, Apple has achieved a higher-level graphics experience with the A17 Pro chipset. This is made possible through a new Apple-designed shader architecture and hardware-accelerated ray tracing. Previously, hardware-accelerated ray tracing was only available on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. The A17 Pro’s ray tracing technology enables 4x faster ray tracing performance compared to the A16’s software-based ray tracing. This advancement will contribute to more immersive gaming and AR experiences.
Speaking of gaming, Apple is excited about the new chip’s potential. They claim that true console-level titles will be able to run natively on the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. These titles include popular games like 2021’s Resident Evil Village or 2023’s Resident Evil 4 Remake, which are also available on the latest-generation gaming consoles.
Additionally, Assassin’s Creed Mirage will be released on the iPhone along with other platforms. It’ll be interesting to see if other game developers will follow suit and port their existing current-gen AAA titles to the iPhone.
The two Resident Evil games are expected to launch for iPhone 15 Pro later this year, while Assassin’s Creed Mirage will be available in early 2024. Other mobile-native games that will benefit from the new A17 Pro chip include The Division: Resurgence, Honkai: Star Rail, and Genshin Impact.
