iPhone 14 Pro Faced 'Unprecedented' Setback Leading to Removal of New Graphics Processor

Apple planned a major generational update for the iPhone 14 Pro's graphics capabilities, but was forced to scrap plans for the new GPU late in development after "unprecedented" missteps were discovered, according to The Information.

A16 iPhone 14 Pro
In a paywalled report, The Information claimed that Apple engineers were "too ambitious" in adding new features to the graphics processor designed for the ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro, including features like ray tracing – a lighting technique to achieve a further level of realism in games. This meant that ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro prototype were found to draw much more power than expected, impacting the device's battery life and thermal management.

According to several individuals that claim to possess first-hand knowledge of the incident speaking to The Information, Apple discovered the flaw in the ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro's GPU late in the device's development cycle, meaning that it had to hastily pivot to revert largely to the GPU from the A15 Bionic chip from the previous year's ‌iPhone‌ 13 lineup.

The incident is reportedly unprecedented in Apple's chip design history and is responsible for why the ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro shows only small improvements in graphics performance compared to the leaps made by previous ‌iPhone‌ generations. The error resulted in Apple restructuring its graphics processor team and moving some managers away from the project, including the exit of key figures that apparently contributed to Apple's emergence as a chip design leader.

The report goes on to reveal how Apple's chip design team has been forced to contend with a loss of talent in recent years, with the company having lost dozens of key people to various silicon design companies since 2019, as well as interpersonal feuds and lawsuits with chip startups.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iphone 16 pro ghost hand

5 Reasons to Skip This Year's iPhone 17 Pro

Thursday July 10, 2025 4:54 am PDT by
Apple will launch its new iPhone 17 series in two months, and the iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to get a new design for the rear casing and the camera area. But more significant changes to the lineup are not expected until next year, when the iPhone 18 models arrive. If you're thinking of trading in your iPhone for this year's latest, consider the following features rumored to be coming...
apple tv 4k new orange

New Apple TV Expected Later This Year With These New Features

Saturday July 12, 2025 3:09 pm PDT by
A new Apple TV is expected to be released later this year, and a handful of new features and changes have been rumored for the device. Below, we recap what to expect from the next Apple TV, according to rumors. Rumors Faster Wi-Fi Support The next Apple TV will be equipped with Apple's own combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. He said the chip supports ...
macbook pro blue green

M5 MacBook Pro No Longer Coming in 2025

Thursday July 10, 2025 12:38 pm PDT by
Apple does not plan to refresh any Macs with updated M5 chips in 2025, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Updated MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models are now planned for the first half of 2026. Gurman previously said that Apple would debut the M5 MacBook Pro models in late 2025, but his newest report suggests that Apple is "considering" pushing them back to 2026. Apple is now said to be...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 16 New Features

Friday July 11, 2025 12:40 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are only two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:A redesigned Dynamic Island: It has been rumored that all iPhone 17 models will have a redesigned Dynamic Island interface — it might ...
iphone 16 pro pro max

iPhone 17 Pro Models With BOE Displays Will Be Sold in China Only

Thursday July 10, 2025 11:59 pm PDT by
iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max models with displays made by BOE will be sold exclusively in China, according to a new report. Last week, it emerged that Chinese display manufacturer BOE was aggressively ramping up its OLED production capacity for future iPhone models as part of a plan to recapture a major role in Apple's supply chain. Now, tech news aggregator Jukan Choi reports...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

Apple Says iPhone Driver's Licenses Will Expand to These 8 U.S. States

Tuesday July 8, 2025 11:26 am PDT by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Unfortunately, this feature continues to roll out very slowly since it was announced in 2021, with only nine U.S. states, Puerto Rico,...
iPhone 17 Air Colors Thumb 2

iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Air Rumored to Come in These 9 Colors

Friday July 11, 2025 12:30 am PDT by
The iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Air will be available in a total of nine color options, according to new information coming out of Asia. The iPhone 17 Air's expected color options. According to the leaker going by the account name "yeux1122" on the Korean blog Naver, accessory manufacturers are now producing camera protector rings for the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Air in colors to match their...
11th gen ipad blue

Apple to Launch New Low-Cost 11-Inch iPad in the Spring

Friday July 11, 2025 3:40 am PDT by
Apple will launch a new 12th generation entry-level iPad in the spring of next year, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple is said to have two versions of the entry-level 11-inch iPad in development, codenamed J581 and J582. These could refer to different storage capacities – in which case, Apple may be planning to drop the existing lowest capacity option. The current iPad 11 is...

Top Rated Comments

msackey Avatar
33 months ago
The framing of the issue as "setback" and failure is so sensationalising, not making it clear that part of research and development HAS to involve experimentation (DUH!) and various trials and errors. I wouldn't necessarily call it a "setback" which is too sensational and tries to capture the audience's mind in a particular way. Boo!

Anyone who has done any serious research and development will recognize that testing, development, and various failed approaches is part and parcel of the work.
Score: 57 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gpat Avatar
33 months ago
iPhone 15 Ultra is going to be amazing.
Score: 52 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
33 months ago

I returned my iPhone 14 Pro. There was literally no noticeable difference between it and the 13 pro.
Well, Dynamic Island is a game changer for an iPhone tho. A 48MP camera is great too and A16 Chip is blazing fast.
Score: 48 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JCCL Avatar
33 months ago
Can’t wait to play candy crush with real time reflections!
Score: 43 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Return Zero Avatar
33 months ago
This sounds like the development cycle for everything I’ve ever worked on… “Hey here’s a great idea, it’s going to be amazing, the team worked really hard to complete the design, it’s ready for production, oh shoot we just got some numbers in and it’s going to be too expensive/inefficient/risky, scrap that, just go back to something simple and we’ll figure that part out next time.”
Score: 41 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Premium1 Avatar
33 months ago
"Setback" Lol no they just wanted to save it for the 15 to use as a selling point. Can't put too many features in the iphone at once, gotta keep the upgrades coming...
Score: 39 Votes (Like | Disagree)