The iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max could lead to a surge in sales and the biggest wave of intergenerational iPhone upgrades to date, as they will use Apple’s first 3nm SoC, the A17 Bionic.
In particular, and according to a report from an authoritative source, the A17 Bionic will be based on TSMC’s N3 technology that will allow for significant specification upgrades in the upcoming iPhone series. TSMC’s first-generation 3nm (N3) process offers a 35% improvement in power efficiency compared to the 5nm (N4) process used by the A16 Bionic of the iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max. So, the N3 technology will offer a significant performance improvement compared to the current 5nm chips.
Reports indicate that Apple has secured 100% of initial orders for the first-generation 3nm technology, despite the higher manufacturing costs involved.
This suggests that rival smartphone vendors such as Samsung are willing to wait until prices drop as they enter what is expected to be a bleak 2023 for the Android market amid a global financial crisis.
As with the iPhone 14, the faster A17 Bionic will only be available in the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max, while the base and Plus models will be limited to the A16 Bionic in the 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max. TSMC is poised to put the N3E – an improved version of the N3 – into commercial production in the second half of this year, and Apple is again expected to be the first customer to adopt the process.
0 Comments