iPhone 17 will not be getting the processor upgrade we were hoping for

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has some important news to share about the iPhone 17 lineup. Apparently, despite us thinking to the contrary for a while now, Apple will not be using 2 nm chipsets for the iPhone 17. Instead, that will happen for the iPhone 18, and even then not across the board if Kuo is correct.

We have reports that Apple has reserved 2 nm chip supply from TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company). This pointed towards the iPhone 17 shifting to said chips, gaining more power and efficiency within the same form factor in the process. If that’s not the case then even the rumored iPhone 17 Air will stick to 3 nm chips.

The processors for 2025 iPhone 17 models will be made by TSMC’s N3P process/3-nanometer technology. The processor for 2026 iPhone 18 models is anticipated to use TSMC’s 2-nanometer technology. However, due to cost concerns, not all new iPhone 18 models may be equipped with a…

— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) September 19, 2024

Meanwhile, Samsung has been planning to start producing and using even smaller chips — 1.4 nm — by 2027. But that might not be happening either given the company has just begun recalling personnel from its plant in Texas after failing to improve yield.Samsung is also planning mass layoffs: 30 percent of its global workforce in fact. So the viability of 1.4 nm chips and the triumphant return of Exynos to the Ultra phones may not be as assured as Samsung had hoped.

If Kuo is right in thinking that not all iPhone 18 models will feature 2 nm chips due to cost concerns then it might mean hikes in pricing as well. We can reasonably expect to pay even more for the iPhone 18 Pro models whenever they come out. If the performance upgrades will be worth the greater price tags remains to be seen.

Despite sticking to 3 nm chips the iPhone 17 will probably be a more memorable upgrade than the iPhone 16. With Apple Intelligence not even out yet — not to mention its absence in the EU and China — the iPhone 16 has seen a very awkward launch.

Couple this with visionOS 2 launching with missing features and iPadOS 18 bricking M4 iPad models and this year seems like a very poor one for Apple.

And I haven’t even mentioned how Apple stock began dropping the moment iPhone 16 was announced. Talk about a punch in the gut.

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