No other phones but iPhone's Pro line will sport a 3nm chip this year; same is expected at 2nm
The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max will very likely be the only smartphones available this year powered by an application processor (AP) manufactured using the 3nm process node. The lower the process node, the smaller a chip's feature set allowing more transistors to be employed. And the more transistors used in a chip, typically the more powerful and energy-efficient it is.
Let's examine some of the recently released iPhone models starting with 2019's iPhone 11 series. In those days Apple used the same chipset for an entire series and all three iPhone 11 models were powered by the A13 Bionic carrying 8.5 billion transistors. The chip, made by TSMC, used its second-generation 7nm node called N7P. Fast forward to today and the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone Pro Max are equipped with the A16 Bionic chipset made using TSMC's 4nm process and each SoC sports 16 billion transistors.
Thanks to the $20,000 it takes to purchase a wafer slice that is turned into 3nm chips, most phone manufacturers are sitting out 3nm this year except for Apple. These manufacturers are expecting wafer prices to drop next year as the next generation of 3nm production kicks off. Even more exciting is the word that TSMC is that trial production of 2nm chips could start soon, according to Wccftech. This doesn't mean that iPhone units equipped with 2nm chips will soon be available since there are going to be several generations of 3nm production that will come first.
Most phone manufacturers are sitting out the first year of 3nm chip production thanks to high wafer costs
For example, in 2024 TSMC will shift 3nm production to its N3E process node which, as we just said, will be more cost-effective for manufacturers. However, a Weibo tipster with the handle Mobile phone chip master made a wild claim that the 3nm N3E process node might deliver reduced performance compared to the 3nm chips produced this year using the N3B process node. Usually performance and energy-efficiency improve with each generation of a process node.
In a recent report by Commercial Times, the only other company said to be looking to reserve 2nm production from the world's leading chip foundry is NVIDIA which ranks among TSMC's top customers. Apple is the company's top revenue generator and is believed to be responsible for 25% of the foundry's annual gross income.
Keep in mind that only the iPhone 15 Pro models will be using the 3nm A17 Bionic this year. The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus will be powered by the hand-me-down A16 Bionic chipset. The iPhone 16 series should be the first to feature 3nm SoCs powering all four models.
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