Rumor Reversal: A20 Chip for iPhones Said to Use TSMC's 2nm Process

[MacRumors]

Earlier this week, the investment firm GF Securities shared multiple research notes regarding Apple's future chips. In one of these notes, it said the A20 chip for the iPhone 18 series would be manufactured with TSMC's third-generation 3nm process, N3P, and in another it said that the chip would use TSMC's newer 2nm process N2.

GF Securities is a large organization with many analysts, and it seems like some wires got crossed. In an email to MacRumors, the firm's lead Apple analyst Jeff Pu has since clarified that he believes the A20 chip will be manufactured with the N2 process, so the information about the chip using the N3P process should be disregarded.

Earlier reports had said the A20 chip would be 2nm, so rumors align again.

This is ultimately good news, as it means the A20 chip should have more substantial performance and power efficiency improvements over the A19 chip.

Of course, the iPhone 18 series is still a year and half away from launching, but at least the record has been set straight on this particular rumor.

Article Link: Rumor Reversal: A20 Chip for iPhones Said to Use TSMC's 2nm Process

 

[Apple Knowledge Navigator]

What happens at 0nm? Do we win a prize?

 

[airwalk331]

How much power is this actually going to save? Like, if the iPhone 16 pro used a 2nm chip (if it were even possible to)- how much more usage time would that give the user?

 

[iPhoneFan5349]

What happens at 0nm? Do we win a prize?

They will use the angstrom as unit of measure and we start again.

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

How much power is this actually going to save? Like, if the iPhone 16 pro used a 2nm chip (if it were even possible to)- how much more usage time would that give the user?

I'm under the impression it's not insignificant... but Apple won't actually pass the savings onto the user. They'll do some combination of putting in smaller battery making the device smaller (and cheaper to manufacture and distribute, but Apple won't lower prices and they'll probably consider the smallness as justification to raise the prices instead) and putting in some other hardware...

Although maybe not. When was the last time Apple put in new hardware that was at all noticeable to regular users? I feel like you have to go all the way back to the iPhone 7's pressure sensor that nobody cared about and was quickly removed. NFC on the 6 might be the last significant new hardware on an iPhone... that correlates well for me with being the last time I bought a new iPhone instead of a used one. It's depressing to think about how incredibly long the iPhone has been stagnant for. Apple is so massively overdue for having a better CEO.

 

[no_idea]

Might as well be as reliable as Gene Munster’s fabled Apple Television screen…

 

[tipoo]

What happens at 0nm? Do we win a prize?

Tech blogs really need to educate more about how much these node names are pure marketing, because someone asks this every single time this comes up as we get down to the single digit nodes. TSMC N7 for example had 36nm fin pitches and 50nm gate widths or the other way around iirc. These are three dimensional objects with sizes on all sides in double digits and there's plenty left to shrink.

Node names USED to mean a minimum feature size, but if that's one feature in a library of thousands of transistors, how much is that really the reality of a chip when every other feature averages many times larger. Density is a better metric in mtr, but you can also trade off density for less thermal hotspotting and higher clocking etc, so it's not always highest is best.

What happens after 2/1nm? They just switch to Angstroms as Intel already will be with 20a and 18a etc.

 

[Chuckeee]

They will use the angstrom as unit of measure and we start again.

It’s just a marketing term. It doesn’t correspond to a real physical measurement.

 

[Two Appleseeds]

Phew! I was freaking out that they still might be running back the 3nm chips for the 18 Pros. Blood pressuring already returning to normal knowing that future efficiency gains are safe and sound

 

[F23]

2nm woo Tim Cook's legacy is saved.

 

[BorisDG]

Yes, exactly what I have said in the other thread few days ago and I got downvoted for it lol.

 

[gpat]

It would be another generation like A17/M3. Low yield to be increased with A21.

 

[MRSugarD]

Yeah, well you know, that's just like Jeff's opinion, man.

 

[Agent4797]

What happens at 0nm? Do we win a prize?

2nm is just a marketing term, it's not the physical size and it doesn't really mean anything

 

[HouseLannister]

And by the A36 they will be 0nm, therefore creating miniature black holes in everyone's pocket.

 

[azentropy]

What happens at 0nm? Do we win a prize?

I assume we will go to picometers once it gets to less than 1 nanometer. 1nm = 1000pm

 

[il_teo77]

I am looking forward to it, especially because it will run the new content aware Siri like a champ. I am so looking forward to it that I just asked Siri what month it is

 

[vantelimus]

How much power is this actually going to save? Like, if the iPhone 16 pro used a 2nm chip (if it were even possible to)- how much more usage time would that give the user?

I believe I read somewhere that it was around 25% savings. I don’t know how much power on average is used by the CPU in a smart phone. I have to believe that the display and the communication chips are using far more. So, suppose as a swag that it is 30%. The savings then would be 30%x25%=7.5%. Apple is probably thinking on-chip Apple Intelligence will increase the A-chip usage, so it may go higher in the future. So, if you get 24 hours of usage out of your phone, maybe you get 26 hours with the new process. Just guesses on my part, but probably in the ballpark.

 

[HouseLannister]

I believe I read somewhere that it was around 25% savings.

Most devices going from 4nm to 3nm saw zero improvements. Apple will say it is a more efficient processor, but those gains were not to be found in battery life tests.

 

[magbarn]

My iphone pro 16 is already as fast as an original M1 in geekbench. If the aluminum downgrade rumors are true, this might be the first time I skip an upgrade since the 5-5s.

 

[Howard2k]

Most devices going from 4nm to 3nm saw zero improvements. Apple will say it is a more efficient processor, but those gains were not to be found in battery life tests.

And no performance gains either?

 

[cdsapplefan]

My iphone pro 16 is already as fast as an original M1 in geekbench. If the aluminum downgrade rumors are true, this might be the first time I skip an upgrade since the 5-5s.

You probably want that Under Screen Face ID, new Samsung Camera Sensor and 2nm big performance boost chip on the iPhone 18 Pro’s to justify a upgrade. I may skip the 17 Pro too. 📱

 

[Tyler O'Bannon]

How much power is this actually going to save? Like, if the iPhone 16 pro used a 2nm chip (if it were even possible to)- how much more usage time would that give the user?

33%. Pretty big change. That doesn’t translate to 33% more battery life tho. Likely the clock speed will go up and the battery size could shrink a bit. It’ll be a balancing act between more battery life vs. more power for same battery life vs. smaller battery supporting design changes like bigger heat sink etc

 

[ssls6]

2nm is 20 Angstoms which is around 10 atoms wide (gate length). You can't shrink forever.

 

[Chuckeee]

2nm is 20 Angstoms which is around 10 atoms wide (gate length). You can't shrink forever.

Once again: The 2nm is just a marketing term, it does not correspond to an actual physical measurement