Apple’s 2nm Chips Will Be Exclusively for iPhone 18 Pro, Suggests Kuo

Highlights

• Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reveals Apple chip plans for iPhone 17 and 18.
• iPhone 17 models expected to feature 3nm chips in 2025
• iPhone 18 models will potentially use 2nm processors in 2026.

The tech community never stops talking about the next iPhones.

Even when the latest iPhones are still only days old, rumours and speculations about next-in-line iPhones – iPhone 17 and iPhone 18 – have already started capturing tech discourse.

Popular supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, in a post on X (previously Twitter), revealed some insights on what Apple is planning for smaller process chips.

According to Kuo, all four iPhone 17 models scheduled to be launched in 2025 will feature the 3nm chips.

However, the iPhone 18 for 2026 might get more advanced 2nm processors.

“The processors for 2025 iPhone 17 models will be made by TSMC’s N3P process/3-nanometer technology. The processor for the 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 2-nanometer processor,” mentions Kuo.

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

The one thing that can inferred from Kuo’s X post is that Apple might keep 2nm chips strictly for the iPhone 18 Pro models scheduled to be unveiled in 2026.

Apple has traditionally used different standards of processors in standard and Pro iPhone models.

The A18 and A18 Pro processors, however, have a minor difference.

Both A-series chips are built with a 3nm process. The minor difference between the two is that the A18 Pro in iPhone 16 Pro has a 6-core GPU and the standard A18 chip in iPhone 16 and 16 Plus models have a 5-core variant. Chip binning could be the reason behind this.

Similar construction is likely to be continued for the A19 chips to be used in next year’s iPhones. And while marketing differentiation will be noticeable, the actual chip will again have minor differences.

However, after next year, things are set for a change if we believe Kuo’s latest indications.

In 2026, Apple is advancing towards even smaller-process 2nm chips. However, the chip would not be used for all models.

Kuo also suggests that it could be because of cost considerations.

With the shrinking chip size manufacturing processes become more intricate. This eventually affects the acceptable yield rates as it becomes increasingly difficult to achieve the minor designs accurately. The number of chips that pass quality control will also shrink. A higher rejection rate at the quality control level only leads to an increase in the cost per chip.

FAQs

Q1. What chip might be used for the iPhone 17 and iPhone 18 models?

Answer. According to supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the iPhone 17 models, scheduled for release in 2025, will feature 3nm chips made using TSMC’s N3P process. The iPhone 18 models, expected in 2026, might use more advanced 2nm processors. However, due to cost concerns, not all iPhone 18 models may be equipped with the 2nm chips.

Q2. Why Apple will limit 2nm chips in the iPhone 18 models only?

Answer. Apple might limit the use of 2nm chips in the iPhone 18 models due to cost considerations. As manufacturing processes shrink, achieving acceptable yield rates becomes more challenging, leading to higher rejection rates and increased costs per chip. Therefore, it is likely that only the iPhone 18 Pro models will feature the 2nm chips.

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