Mass production of next-generation chips from Apple partner Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. has begun, the company announced Thursday. TSMC has highlighted the new chip’s reduced power consumption, which could lead to longer battery life for the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max.
The new chips will be built on a 3-nanometer process and, according to TSMC, will require 30% to 35% less power compared to 5-nanometer chips. However, Apple designs its own iPhone processors, so it’s impossible to know exactly what to expect from the next iPhone based solely on TSMC’s progress. Instead, the news suggests that TSMC’s 3-nanometer processor technology could be used in the upcoming iPhone if Apple chooses to do so. And when it comes to battery life, the hardware doesn’t tell the whole story. Software also plays a big role.
TSMC also compares 3nm and 5nm chips when it comes to power consumption. The A16 Bionic processor in the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max is built on a 4-nanometer process. Still, as his colleague Stephen Shankland points out in his A16 Bionic article, miniaturizing circuits generally improves performance because more functionality can be fit inside the chip. increase.
If Apple maintains the strategy it followed with the iPhone 14 generation, its new smartphone chips will only appear in what is expected to be called the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Powered by Apple’s new A16 Bionic chip, Apple’s previous-generation A15 Bionic processor is found in the regular iPhone 14 and 14 Plus. Assuming Apple keeps the same naming convention, the next iPhone chip will likely be called the A17 Bionic.
Apple did not immediately respond to CNET’s request for comment on what TSMC’s new chip means for the iPhone 15.
Apple usually releases new iPhone models in September. Thanks to new European Union regulations, the iPhone 15 lineup could be the company’s first phone to use his USB-C charging instead of Apple’s own Lightning connector. Otherwise, there are rumors that a periscope-style telephoto lens and new solid-state buttons could be on his Apple’s upcoming iPhone.
