The Apple iPhone 15 Pro may be the most powerful phone of 2023 as it is expected to come with the new 3nm A17 chip.
The next-generation 3nm will soon begin mass production, representatives from Taiwanese semiconductor TSMC, but the improved N3E version will not be available in phone chipsets before Apple releases the iPhone 15 Pro, local publication Digitimes.
According to TSMC CEO speaking in the second quarter earnings report, "N3E will further expand the N3 family with improved power and performance. We have seen a high number of customers committing to N3E , and high-volume production is planned for about a year after N3" or around this time of year.
Qualcomm 's next best thing , the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 that will be in the Galaxy S23 phones this winter, won't be able to take advantage of the 3nm manufacturing process and will still be 4nm , leaving the 3nm node, intended for mass use in 2024 phones , for the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 .
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The same goes for the world's largest phone chipset maker MediaTek, which will only release 3nm processors manufactured by TSMC towards the end of 2023, leaving only Apple as a major customer for TSMC's improved 3nm mobile chipset production node, likely for the A17 processor.
Expected Apple iPhone 15 Pro specifications
- 3nm Apple A17 processor
- 48MP main camera
- 12MP ultrawide camera with 1.4 micron pixels
- Punch-hole OLED display
Given that rumors suggest that Apple will embark on a processor fragmentation spree with the iPhone 14, with a 5nm A15 for the iPhone 14 and 14 Max, but a 4nm A16 for the iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max – the result next year may be that it will only equip the iPhone 15 Pro Max and iPhone 15 Pro with the 3nm Apple A17 processor.
According to TSMC's N3E production schedule, Apple will be "the main customer of TSMC's 3nm manufacturing process in 2023, and the company is expected to fulfill significant 3nm chip orders for multiple customers in 2024," industry sources said.
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Thus, the first phones with the brand new 3nm processors are expected to be the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max with the new periscope cameras, significant differentiations that may push them well ahead of the available options in 2023, and not only among Apple's mobiles.
Since the iPhone 15 Pro will have a smaller display with fewer pixels helping the graphics subsystem, its benchmarks could eclipse an iPhone 15 Pro Max with the same A17 processor, ultimately making it the most powerful phone of 2023.
Source: phonearena.com
