There’s a truthful quantity of uncertainty surrounding which lithography Apple intends to make use of for its future iPhone lineup. A latest report talked about that the know-how big will transition to TSMC’s 2nm process for its A-series of chipsets for the iPhone 17, however one analyst believes in any other case. He claims that the iPhone 18 household can be handled to the cutting-edge silicon, and even then, not all fashions can be given choice to this know-how because of the excessive prices that may ultimately be incurred.
The iPhone 17 won’t characteristic Apple’s cutting-edge 2nm chipsets, as the corporate will persist with 3nm SoCs, however mass produced on TSMC’s ‘N3P’ node
On X, TF Worldwide Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has supplied an replace regarding Apple’s plans for the iPhone 17 and iPhone 18 sequence. He states that for subsequent 12 months’s fashions, the Cupertino agency will leverage TSMC’s 3nm ‘N3P’ course of, which is the third iteration of the Taiwanese semiconductor big’s superior node. Apple took benefit of the 3nm ‘N3B’ variant for the A17 Professional, adopted by the ‘N3E’ course of for the M4, A18, and A18 Professional.
For the A19 and A19 Professional, that are already said to be in development, future consumers who’ve particularly skipped the iPhone 16 buy to attend patiently for the iPhone 17 launch subsequent 12 months could also be disillusioned to be taught that Apple will persist with the 3nm know-how. Luckily, it’s truthful to say that the N3P model will certainly enhance over N3E. One cause why Apple might be reluctant to modify to 2nm chipsets for the iPhone 17 lineup so shortly is excessive wafer prices.
The processors for 2025 iPhone 17 fashions can be made by TSMC’s N3P course of/3-nanometer know-how. The processor for 2026 iPhone 18 fashions is anticipated to make use of TSMC’s 2-nanometer know-how. Nevertheless, as a consequence of value considerations, not all new iPhone 18 fashions could also be geared up with a…
— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) September 19, 2024
Earlier this 12 months, we reported that every 3nm wafer prices $20,000, so one can instantly summarize that the change to 2nm will in all probability be too excessive for Apple to contemplate. It’s unlikely that with the iPhone 18 launch in 2026, these prices will dramatically cut back, however Apple might work out some proposition with TSMC. Even when a constructive consequence materializes, Kuo is of the opinion that not all iPhone 18 fashions will characteristic a 2nm A-series SoC as a result of these can be costly to mass produce.
Information Supply: Ming-Chi Kuo
