Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reveals that the iPhone 17 series, scheduled for September next year, will be equipped with A19 processors using TSMC’s advanced 3-nanometer N3P technology. To see an innovation in the fineness of the engraving, we will finally have to wait until the iPhone 18 Pro in 2026, which is expected to adopt the next-generation 2-nanometer processor technology.
A story of finesse
The terms “3nm” And “2nm” refers to generations of chip manufacturing technologies, each with its own design and architecture rules. Smaller transistors, such as those indicated by these reduced numbers, allow more of them to be placed on a single chip, increasing processing speed and improving power efficiency.
Last year, Apple adopted 3-nanometer chips for its iPhones and Macs. The A17 Pro chip in the iPhone 15 Pro and the M3 chips in Macs are built on the 3-nanometer node, an improvement over the previous 5nm. This year’s iPhone 16 series uses an A18 chip built on a second-generation 3-nanometer process, making it more efficient and faster, with about a 15 to 20 percent gain overall.
TSMC plans to start manufacturing 2nm chips in late 2025, and Apple is expected to be the first company to receive chips made using the new process. TSMC is building two new facilities for 2nm chip production, and is working on approval for a third. TSMC has a history of building new factories to meet growing demand from Apple, as well as Nvidia, Qualcomm, and others.
The processors for 2025 iPhone 17 models will be made by TSMC’s N3P process/3-nanometer technology. The processor for 2026 iPhone 18 models is anticipated to use TSMC’s 2-nanometer technology. However, due to cost concerns, not all new iPhone 18 models may be equipped with a…
— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) September 19, 2024
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo points out that, due to the high costs, not all iPhone 18s will benefit from a 2nm chip, probably called “A20 Pro”. It is easy to understand that only the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will be entitled to it. It remains to be seen whether the iPhone 18 Air / Slim, the first version of which is expected with the “iPhone 17” range, will also be powered by the A20 Pro chip or will remain on a standard A20.
By then, the Taiwanese foundry will offer several improvements to the chips 3nmlike the N3E (first generation) and N3P (second generation), with optimized processes in particular for the upcoming A19 range. Variants for more specific applications, such as N3X for high performance computing or N3AE for the automotive industry, are also in development.
