iPhone 17: Newer 3nm Technology Expected for A19 and A19 Pro Chips
Apple's next-generation A19 chip for the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Air and A19 Pro chip for the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max will be manufactured with TSMC's latest, third-generation 3nm process called "N3P," analyst Jeff Pu said today, in a broader tech-related research note with Hong Kong-based investment bank Haitong.
The current A18 and A18 Pro chips for the iPhone 16 lineup are manufactured with TSMC's second-generation 3nm process "N3E," while the A17 Pro chip in the iPhone 15 Pro models is manufactured with TSMC's first-generation 3nm process "N3B."
"N3P" is considered a process "shrink" compared to N3E, meaning that chips manufactured with the newer process will have increased transistor density. While this comes as no surprise, it means that next year's iPhone 17 models should have modestly improved performance and power efficiency compared to iPhone 16 models.
Previous reports indicated that TSMC would begin mass production of chips built with the N3P process in the second half of 2024.
In 2026, Apple is expected to use TSMC's first 2nm process for A20 chips in iPhone 18 models.
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