Reports from Taiwan revealed that Apple is expecting a 35% improvement in power efficiency from the A17 Bionic chipset, which is reportedly built by TSMC on the 3nm FinFet process. Insiders revealed that this will be a key feature that will drive “replacement demand” among iPhone users, along with the new camera and USB-C charging port.
Apple has reportedly bought the entire first production run of TSMC’s 3nm chips, meaning it will be the only smartphone company with such a chipset in 2023. Qualcomm and Mediatek won’t be developing their own solutions for now, with Mediatek citing “high production costs ” while the American company stands back and assesses the situation.
Apple is expected to use the A17 Bionic for the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. These phones also come with an updated design, a periscope camera, and solid-state volume and power buttons.
The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus are likely to stick with the A16 Bionic, though they’ll also get the USB-C treatment after the EU effectively forced Apple to ditch the lighting port.
