We haven’t yet seen the iPhone 13 up close, but that doesn’t stop anyone from musing over the possible features of the 2022 iPhone or the 2022 Mac as well. A DigiTimes report (via MacRumors) says the 2022 iPhones and Macs could be powered by a new 3nm chip.
Apple’s current iPhone 12 lineup is powered by a 5nm processor, which is the smallest chip in the market. The iPhone 13, due this fall, is expected to be powered by the same size, in a more efficient form.
The DigiTimes report says TSMC is readying a new 3nm chip for the 2022 iPhones and Macs:
“TSMC is on track to move its 3nm process technology to volume production in the second half of 2022 for Apple’s devices, either iPhones or Mac computers, according to industry sources.“
A report by Nikkei last month claims Apple will launch an iPad in 2022 powered by a processor based on TSMC’s next-generation 3-nanometer process, while the iPhone 14 will use a larger 4nm SoC due to yield rates/scheduling lead times.
TSMC claims that 3nm technology can increase processing performance by 10% to 15% compared to 5nm technology while reducing power consumption by 25% to 30%.
The Nikkei report doesn’t indicate whether the next-gen 3nm chip technology will debut in an iPad Air or an iPad Pro. However, since Apple usually updates the iPad Pro every 12 to 18 months or so, which means we could see a new model appear in the second half of 2022.
