Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., an Apple partner, just began mass producing next-generation chips, the firm said Thursday. TSMC is emphasizing the new chip’s lower power usage, which might indicate that the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max’s batteries will last longer.
According to TSMC, the new chips, which will be constructed using a 3-nanometer process, would use 30% to 35% less power than its 5-nanometer processors. But because Apple creates its own iPhone CPUs, it’s hard to predict precisely what the next iPhone will look like based only on TSMC’s innovations. Rather, if Apple decides to employ it, the announcement indicates that TSMC’s 3-nanometer CPU technology will be ready for use in the next iPhone. Software also has a significant impact on battery life; hardware alone does not provide a whole picture.
Additionally, TSMC is comparing the power consumption of its 3nm and 5nm processors. The iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max’s A16 Bionic CPU is constructed using a 4-nanometer technology. However, as my colleague Stephen Shankland notes in his study of the A16 Bionic, circuitry that is smaller tends to perform better since more functions can fit within the chip.
Apple’s new smartphone CPU will only be available in what we anticipate to be the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max if it sticks to the same plan it used for the iPhone 14 generation. For instance, Apple’s latest A16 Bionic chip powers the iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max, while the standard iPhone 14 and 14 Plus are powered by the company’s A15 Bionic chipset, which was developed earlier. The A17 Bionic will probably be the name of Apple’s next iPhone processor, if the company continues to use the same naming scheme.
A request for comment from CNET about the potential implications of TSMC’s new processor for the iPhone 15 was not immediately answered by Apple.
New iPhone models are often released by Apple in September. According to new European Union laws, the iPhone 15 series may be the first devices from the firm to employ USB-C charging rather than Apple’s exclusive Lightning connection. Other than that, there are reports that Apple’s next iPhones may have new solid-state buttons and a periscope-style telephoto lens.