Fact Check: Is iPhone 18 Really Powered by Israeli-Made Chip?

Apple’s iPhone 18 launch sparked a new online debate over claims that its A20 Pro chip is “made in Israel.” While Apple has a major engineering presence in the nation, the claim overlooks the difference between where a chip is developed and where it is manufactured.

The most important distinction here is between design and manufacturing. Apple designs its own A-series processors using engineering teams spread across different parts of the world, but the physical manufacturing of the A20 Pro is handled by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, or TSMC, using 2nm technology. Calling the A20 Pro an “Israeli-made chip” gives a misleading impression, as Israel’s connection is primarily about engineering and technology development rather than chip fabrication.

Even so, Israeli engineers have played a genuine role in Apple’s technology development. Apple’s teams there have worked on wireless connectivity, cameras, sensors, storage, and silicon-related development, expanding operations through acquisitions such as Anobit, PrimeSense, and Intel’s smartphone modem business. Furthermore, Johny Srouji, Apple’s senior hardware executive and head of its silicon efforts, was born in Haifa and has played a major role in custom processor development.

The new iPhone 18 lineup features devices built around the A20 Pro chip, including Apple's first foldable model iPhone Duo, along with the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, which also include a vapor-chamber cooling system and the new C2 modem. Alongside these hardware updates, Apple is pushing prices higher as the iPhone 18 Pro starts at $1,199 and the Pro Max starts at $1,299 for 256GB models.