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How to check whether your new iPhone 6s / 6s Plus comes with Samsung or TSMC-made Apple A9

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By Victor Hristov

Updated: Oct 08, 2015, 10:32 AM

How to check whether your new iPhone 6s / 6s Plus comes with Samsung or TSMC-made Apple A9

The new Apple iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus come with the brand new Apple A9 system chip that is a huge improvement over the A8 used in the iPhone 6.

But did you know that - unlike before - this time, the Apple A9 is not one chip. With the transition to a new and more efficient manufacturing method, Apple had to double source the Apple A9 from Samsung and TSMC. And since the actual manufacturing technology at the two companies differ - both use FinFETs, but Samsung makes its chips on a 14nm process, while TSMC uses a 16nm manufacturing node. In fact, while the Samsung-made Apple A9 occupies a die surface of 96mm2, the one made by TSMC is slightly larger, at 104.5mm2. We have also seen that there is a difference in the actual performance of the two.

So how do you check whether your new iPhone 6s has a Samsung or a TSMC version of the Apple A9 chip?

Luckily, this is not a hard task. You can download one of the many free apps that report the model number for your new iPhone, like the Lirum Device Info app right below.

Download Lirum Device Info Lite (free) on the App Store

Once you download it, you just open it and scroll down to the 'Storage and Model Information' section. What you are looking for here is the 'Model' number. And here is how to decipher the meaning of the model number:

Apple iPhone 6s:

N71AP - Apple A9 made by Samsung

N71MAP - Apple A9 made by TSMC

Apple iPhone 6s Plus:

N66AP - Apple A9 made by Samsung

N66MAP - Apple A9 made by TSMC

Right below you can see that we have the N71AP, an iPhone 6s with a Samsung-made Apple A9. What's yours?

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Victor, a seasoned mobile technology expert, has spent over a decade at PhoneArena, exploring the depths of mobile photography and reviewing hundreds of smartphones across Android and iOS ecosystems. His passion for technology, coupled with his extensive knowledge of smartphone cameras and battery life, has positioned him as a leading voice in the mobile tech industry.

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