If you thought that the iPhone 15 could keep the already high price of the iPhone 14, we have bad news. A new report of Digitimes suggests that the cost of the models that the Cupertino company announces in 2023, it will be even higher compared to the current versions because of TSMC, which in 2023 will begin the production of 3-nanometer chips for the future processor of the aforementioned models; the A17 Bionic chip.
According to DigitimesTSMC has doubled the production cost of 3 nanometer wafers compared to what it cost to make 7 nanometer wafers. The new chips, therefore, will cost $20,000 per wafer, compared to the $10,000 it cost in 2018, when the company announced the iPhone 11 and the A13 Bionic chip. This, of course, falls mainly on Apple, which will have to pay a higher amount for each chip. In turn, the company could increase the price of the iPhone 15 to be able to face the price increase by TSMC.
Apple also faces a drawback that undoubtedly benefits TSMC considerably. Only the aforementioned semiconductor manufacturer and Samsung have the capacity to produce chips with 3-nanometer architecture. So the company would have no choice but to face the rise if it wants its next processors to be more powerful and efficient.
The iPhone 15 could be more expensive, but also more powerful and efficient
In fact, one of the main advantages of 3-nanometer chips is that they are more efficient than current 4-nanometer processors. For it, TSMC it will use a process node system that allows the transistors on each chip to be smaller and therefore have a greater number within each processor.
The fact that more transistors fit on a single chip makes its operation more efficient. Also more powerful. The iPhone 15, therefore, It will be faster and consume less than current models. Unfortunately, it is too soon to know approximate differences.
The iPhone 15, in addition to better performance and energy efficiency, would also come with a slight renovation in its design; betting on rounded corners on the back and titanium as a material for the frames. It is also expected that Apple will eliminate the physical buttons for solid-state ones.
