If iPhones are famous for anything for a long time, then it is undoubtedly their top-notch chips that make them the most powerful smartphones in the world every year. Moreover, it is now virtually clear that this will not change until 2027. Analysts from SemiAnalysis got their hands on the plans of the backyard chip manufacturer for iPhones, iPads and Macs, i.e. TSMC, from which it is clear that further big performance steps forward await us in the coming years.
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TSMC specifically plans to start developing 1,4nm manufacturing technology as soon as possible, which it should be able to put into full operation for chip production in 2027. The first iPhones with these chips should be iPhones 19 Pro equipped with A21 chip Pro. The truth is that there is still a lot of time left until 2027, but given how close TSMC is to Apple and at the same time to how it is for Apple this manufacturer has been important for a long time both because of the quality of its products and loyalty, it is almost certain that it will be these iPhones that will be the first smartphones in the world to receive 1,4nm chips. TSMC is significantly ahead of the competition in this regard, and it does not seem that it will be possible to catch up in the foreseeable future.
Chip development in iPhonech:
- iPhone XR and XS (2018): A12 Bionic (7nm, N7)
- iPhone 11 (2019): A13 Bionic (7nm, N7P)
- iPhone 12 (2020): A14 Bionic (5nm, N5)
- iPhone 13 Pro (2021): A15 Bionic (5nm, N5P)
- iPhone 14 Pro (2022): A16 Bionic (4nm, N4P)
- iPhone 15 Pro(2023): A17 Pro (3nm, N3B)
- iPhone 16 Pro (2024): "A18" (3nm, N3E)
- iPhone17 Pro (2025): "A19" (2nm, N2)
- iPhone 18 Pro (2026): "A20" (2nm, N2P)
- iPhone19 Pro (2027): "A21" (1,4nm, A14)
If you then ask why it is important to control the smaller and smaller chip production process, the answer is simple. Thanks to shrinking, a larger number of transistors can fit on the same area of the chip, which can therefore be placed closer to each other, which leads to less energy consumption. A larger number of transistors on the same surface logically results in a higher performance of the given chip. However, it is a question of how much 1,4nm chips will improve compared to 2nm or the current 3nm.
