iPhone 16 series is just hitting the shelves around the world and rumors are already making rounds about the iPhone 17 and even iPhone 18 series. Ming-Chi Kuo, an Apple analyst, says iPhone 17 series will use 3nm chips from TSMC while some pro iPhone 18 models may use 2nm chips.
The iPhone 17 models are slated for release next year in 2025 while iPhone 18 won’t hit the market until 2026. There are also credible leaks that Apple is working on replacing the Plus variant with a slightly more powerful, slimmer, and costlier iPhone 17 Air model.
Why it Matters?
3nm and 2nm are advanced manufacturing processes used in mobile chipset production. These numbers refer to the size of the transistors within the chip. Smaller transistor sizes allow for more transistors to be packed into a given area, which leads to several benefits:
- Increased performance: More transistors can perform more calculations simultaneously, leading to faster processing speeds.
- Reduced power consumption: Smaller transistors require less power to operate, resulting in longer battery life.
- Smaller chip size: Smaller transistors allow for smaller and more efficient chip designs.
Some devices that are already running 3nm chips are iPhone 15 Pro models (A17 Pro chip) and the M3 series MacBooks. So what did Apple use in the iPhone 16 series? Well, the iPhone series powered by A18 and A18 Pro chips are using a second generation of 3nm node chips that will further pave the way for 2nm node chips. The reason not all iPhone 18 models may feature a 2nm chip is their high cost of production.
TSMC, a leading semiconductor manufacturer, has already introduced enhanced versions of its 3nm process – N3E and N3P. These improved processes offer better performance and power efficiency. Additionally, TSMC is developing other 3nm variants including N3X for high-performance computing and N3AE for automotive applications.
