Apple could deliver a huge iPhone performance boost as soon as next year

Date:
Thu, 11 Apr 2024 09:56:45 +0000

Description:
Apple is reportedly planning to debut new 2nm chips in next years iPhones, which could seriously boost performance.

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With its M3 chip , Apple was the first company to put a consumer-grade 3nm chip in its devices, and according to a new report chips made with the improved 2nm manufacturing process could make their way into your iPhone as soon as next year, potentially bringing major performance improvements.

The information comes from a paywalled report at DigiTimes (via AppleInsider ), which claims that chipmaker TSMC which supplies Apples iPhones and Macs is making good progress with its plans for a 2nm chip dubbed N2. Small-scale production will reportedly begin later this year, with mass production
ramping up in 2025.

That would be too late for the chips to make it into this years iPhone 16 range, but the timeline puts these 2nm chips on course for the iPhone 17 handsets, which we'd expect to launch in September 2025. In recent years, Apple has saved its most advanced chips for its Pro phones, so wed expect to see the 2nm chip launch in the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max first,
then make an appearance in the entry-level iPhone 18 and iPhone 18 Plus the following year.

Whats all the fuss about? Well, the souped-up manufacturing process makes chips faster and more efficient, meaning theres potential for a sizable performance jump when these chips make their way into iPhones. We saw that when Apple switched to 3nm chips Apples M3 series offers a major graphics boost over their M2 predecessors, for instance and we can hopefully look forward to similar benefits in the iPhone range.

DigiTimes adds that TSMC is also working on an advanced 2nm processor (called N2P) that's expected towards the end of 2026, which might make it too late
for the iPhone 18 Pro. Beyond that, the manufacturer is aiming for 1.4nm processors (known internally as A14), but we dont yet know the schedule for those. AI for your iPhone (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

Apples smartphone chips already offer performance that easily outstrips most rivals. So youd think the company wouldnt be in a major rush to switch over
to 2nm chips given how impressive their products already are.

But the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution has really shaken things up. Rumors suggest Apple is working hard on its own generative AI tools, but the company is undoubtedly behind competitors like OpenAI and Microsoft in this area. That could all change in June, however, when Apple is set to unveil iOS 18 , which is set to bring with it a huge range of AI capabilities .

Apple has been building AI into its chips for years its A-series iPhone
chips have a Neural Engine dedicated entirely to AI tasks so Apple will likely be able to offer up some impressive AI performance when iOS 18 drops. But without a 2nm chip, people might be left wondering what could have been.

The good news is that they wont have to wait too long. With the companys
first 2nm chip possibly set for next year, we might soon see what all the
fuss is about. You might also like The iPhone 17 could have a screen upgrade weve been waiting years for iOS 18: rumored features, predicted release date, and everything we want to see Apple says AI features are coming to your
iPhone 'later this year' here's what to expect



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/phones/apple-could-deliver-a-huge-iphone-performance -boost-as-soon-as-next-year


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