Apple launched its A19 Pro and A19 mobile processors about three months ago. The 3 nm 64-bit Arm-based SoCs drive a new wave of iPhone 17 series smartphones, as well as the ultraslim + lightweight iPhone Air. It took a while for close-up die shots to emerge from independent groups. Eventually, close-ups of the A19 Pro's layout turned up online, mid-way through November. Investigations have focused on Apple's selection of TSMC's cutting-edge N3P node process; granting a noticeable reduction in die areas, when compared to previous-gen equivalents. 2024's A18 Pro and A18 designs are 3 nm chips, but manufactured via N3E (FinFET)—an older/less advanced node. The leading foundry's N3P product is referred to as a "high-performance variant."

When comparing the current flagship chipset (A19 Pro) to its predecessor (A18 Pro), keen observers noted a 10% reduction in footprint—going from 105 mm² down to 98.6 mm². Additionally, SemiAnalysis reckons that the A19 is 9% smaller than its forebear (A18). According to their calculations, the upgrade to N3P would only grant about a 4% difference in area. Logically, Apple's engineering team must have played around with other aspects in order to reach nine to ten percent shrinkage. SemiAnalysis outlined important improvements across the latest chip designs: "looking at core areas, The P-Core shrank by 4%, while the E-Core and GPU are 10% larger, reflecting the increased transistor budget for the large efficiency gains seen in benchmarks...The cache macro doubled in size to 32 KB for a 10% higher density cache: A18 4 MB of SLC: 1.08 mm², and A19 4 MB of SLC: 0.98 mm². There's also a more area efficient layout of all the minor 'uncore' SOC area (e.g. display/media engine, ISP, security etc)." In conclusion, they propose that several smart design innovations have lead to "an area reduction comparable to a major node shrink," overall a big achievement, albeit in a smaller package.