Apple Supplier TSMC Reportedly Begins Production of A15 Bionic Chip for iPhone 13

[MacRumors]

Following a report indicating that production would begin ahead of schedule, longtime Apple supplier TSMC has now officially kicked off production of Apple's upcoming A15 chip for the iPhone 13 lineup, expected later on in the second half of this year, according to a new paywalled report from DigiTimes.

The A14 Bionic chip, which first got announced in the iPad Air and then made its way to the iPhone 12, was the first Apple processor to be made using the 5nm process. The A15 Bionic chip will continue to be based on the smaller process but instead use an enhanced version, which presumably will enable improved performance and improved power efficiency to match.

The iPhone 13 is expected to be announced as early as September, in line with previous years, following the delayed launch of the iPhone 12 due to the global health crisis. As lockdowns emerged last year, Apple and its suppliers had to cut back on production, forcing the annual release of the new iPhone to take place in October, one month later than usual. However, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes that a similar situation is unlikely to happen again this year.

Alongside the faster performance, graphics, and improved power efficiency thanks to the A15 Bionic chip, the iPhone 13 lineup is rumored to include several other new features. The higher-end models of the lineup, the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max, are expected to include an LTPO display, which would enable a higher 120Hz refresh rate. The inclusion of LTPO displays also opens the door for the possibility of having an always-on display.

Article Link: Apple Supplier TSMC Reportedly Begins Production of A15 Bionic Chip for iPhone 13

 

[UltimateSyn]

Wahoo. Can't wait for that sweet, sweet 120 Hz in this year's iPhones.

 

[LFC2020]

No, really? Thought they would of started production next year. 🙄🤦‍♂️

 

[JPack]

Given the ~100 day fab cycle time, that means finished SoC packages in late August. That's just in time to hand them over to Foxconn for mass assembly for a September launch. Not sure I'd call that ahead of schedule.

 

[Serban55]

A15, and soon they will start the M2 production for the fall Macbook Air

 

[James Godfrey]

A15, and soon they will start the M2 production for the fall Macbook Air

Already started

 

[makitango]

If it is a „report“ from DigiTimes, then it is kicked off unofficially. Officially would be a statement from TSMC themselves.

 

[Realityck]

Hopefully we get some more information about this in 12 days from Apple (WWDC).

 

[ilikewhey]

i would really like the battery % back in the top right.

 

[newyorksole]

Hopefully we get some more information about this in 12 days from Apple (WWDC).

Considering the chip will likely debut in the new iPhones in September, I highly doubt they would make any mention of it at WWDC. I don’t think they’ve ever done that.

 

[_Spinn_]

Glad they were able to stay on schedule this year. Very exciting!

 

[tonie walker]

If they managed to put M1 in the iPad….

 

[LiE_]

Can't wait to utilise all the extra power when sending a cat emoji on iMessage and reading the news...

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

This is exciting!!! Fasten your seat belts folks. Who’s going to be ordering the new iPhones with me this year???

 

[Internaut]

Interesting. I did wonder if Apple would try to shoehorn M1 into an iPhone (or at least a Pro iPhone model), thereby using economies of scale generated to propel it into other products (e.g. Apple TV and from there more of a presence in gaming). Whatever happens, I still think M1 is all about scale and how cheap Apple can get it in the first year or so of production).

 

[Macadvn]

I can see a 120Hz screen would be a great choice for this year's iPhone lineup

 

[djcerla]

Can't wait to utilise all the extra power when sending a cat emoji on iMessage and reading the news...

I, for one, can’t wait to utilize that power to save a retouched video faster for example. Or to get longer battery life.

 

[4087258]

That’s really good to know that those chips aren’t getting production issues; this chip shortage situation is a bit “scary”.

 

[4087258]

I, for one, can’t wait to utilize that power to save a retouched video faster for example. Or to get longer battery life.

Exactly: for every generation, less power usage is required; it’s really useful.

 

[LiE_]

Exactly: for every generation, less power usage is required; it’s really useful.

Yep, unless you stick an M1 in an iPad Pro ?

 

[Kabeyun]

Unless the camera system is wanting, this is the one I’m getting, because the 13 mini will be the last small form factor iPhone. I held the 12 mini in my hand the other day at an Apple store, and it still feels right.

 

[CrazyForCashews]

Fingers crossed (and ready haha) for the return of TouchID!

 

[Populus]

I really wish this new SoC is built using the latest ARM V9 architecture... That would lead to massive performance and power efficiency improvements, like the ones announced on the new Cortex-A710 and the new Cortex-A510.

 

[snipr125]

I wonder if Apple will introduce the A15 bionic to the Ipad Air 5 first before the Iphone 13, like they did with the A14 Bionic.

 

[Dolmio]

I wonder how their mac/ ipad chip upgrade cycles would work now… historically the iPad Pro line only had alternate years a10x , a12x , m1 (a14x) etc so I wonder if there is a m2 this year based on a15 or next year based on a16 ( ie. m2 = a16x) and instead we only get a m1x this year ?‍♂️