With an expected iPhone 16 announcement less than two months away, the rumors of its successor, the iPhone 17, are picking up. The latest report comes from a source that states that Apple will continue using a 3nm chip production process for the iPhone 17, and that reports for 2nm chips are false.
According to a “Mobile phone chip expert” who posted on China-based Weibo, the 2nm process won’t be ready until the end of next year–not in time for the iPhone 17. We won’t see a 2nm chip until the iPhone 18 in 2026. The post was in response to a news article by the Zhitong Finance Network, which states that Apple has placed a large 2nm chip order with manufacturer TSMC for 2025. The person who posted the response states in their Weibot profile that they have 25 years in the integrated chip industry, and has also made accurate predictions in the past.
Presumably, the iPhone 17 in 2025 will have chips that are part of an A19 chip series. TSMC continues to develop its chip manufacturing process and previous reports have stated that the 2nm process could be ready by the time the iPhone 17 goes into mass production. Because Apple is TSMC’s biggest client, TSMC could prioritize 2nm process development so that it’s ready in time, but these processes can take some time.
The evolution of the fabrication process increases the transistor density in the chip and allows for more chip cores, more cache, better power efficiency, and other features. The current iPhone 15 Pro’s A17 Pro chip is made with a 3nm process, and the upcoming iPhone 16 Pro is rumored to have an A18 Pro chip that’s also 3nm, but a newer and more refined version of the manufacturing process.
