Apple's next-gen 'A13' iPhone and iPad chipset will remain 7nm

Apple is likely to stick with 7-nanometer chip designs for 2019 iPhone and iPad processors, a report revealed on Friday.

Mass production of 5-nanometer chips won't start until the end of 2019 or early 2020, according to C.C. Wei, the CEO of Apple processor manufacturer TSMC, quoted by DigiTimes. "Risk" production will start in early 2019, but Apple would likely need mass production to begin by the summer for devices shipping that year.

Wei added that TSMC is expecting to invest $25 billion in 5-nanometer technology, but without offering a timeline.

Apple is commonly anticipated to be using 7-nanometer technology in this year's "A12" processor for upcoming iPhones. These include 5.8- and 6.5-inch OLED devices, and a 6.1-inch LCD product, all liable to be announced in the fall.

Updated iPad Pros will presumably sport a faster "A12X" chip, if the company follows past trends. The tablets may additionally drop home buttons and switch to Face ID.

Shrinking die size allows more processing power to fit into the same space, while also often improving power efficiency. Apple is frequently concerned about both matters, but may be especially interested as it works on its rumored AR/VR headset, which could ship as soon as 2020. That device may use power-hungry technologies such as 8K and WiGig, and wearables must be as slim and lightweight as possible.

38 Comments

nunzy 662 comments · 6 Years

About 6 years ago

Apple skates to where the puck is going to be, but won't release a product until it is fully baked. Always.

fasterquieter 90 comments · 9 Years

I would love for new iPads to have A12X chips, but suspect A11Xs are more likely. I don't recall Apple ever releasing iPads with brand new generation chips. They usually have whatever the iPhone had last. Presumably because yields aren't high enough for lower-margin products.

rare comment 206 comments · 14 Years

fasterquieter said:

I would love for new iPads to have A12X chips, but suspect A11Xs are more likely. I don't recall Apple ever releasing iPads with brand new generation chips. They usually have whatever the iPhone had last. Presumably because yields aren't high enough for lower-margin products.

A4 was the first Apple chip. And it debuted in iPad.

zimmie 651 comments · 9 Years

fasterquieter said:

I would love for new iPads to have A12X chips, but suspect A11Xs are more likely. I don't recall Apple ever releasing iPads with brand new generation chips. They usually have whatever the iPhone had last. Presumably because yields aren't high enough for lower-margin products.

The A4 was in the original iPad first, then it was used in iPhone 4 when it was launched a few months later. The A5 hit iPad 2 first, then iPhone 4S a few months later. iPads started getting X variants with the A5X (third-generation iPad) and lagging behind the A# base variant with the A6 (A6 in iPhone 5 in 2012-09, A6X in iPad 4 in 2012-10).

zimmie said:

fasterquieter said:

I would love for new iPads to have A12X chips, but suspect A11Xs are more likely. I don't recall Apple ever releasing iPads with brand new generation chips. They usually have whatever the iPhone had last. Presumably because yields aren't high enough for lower-margin products.

The A4 was in the original iPad first, then it was used in iPhone 4 when it was launched a few months later. The A5 hit iPad 2 first, then iPhone 4S a few months later. iPads started getting X variants with the A5X (third-generation iPad) and lagging behind the A# base variant with the A6 (A6 in iPhone 5 in 2012-09, A6X in iPad 4 in 2012-10).

And I think the A9 and A9x were announced together.