Apple’s future-gen iPhone 18 Pro smartphone is expected to rock its next-gen A20 Pro chip, which will be fabbed on TSMC’s fresh 2nm process node.
VIEW GALLERY – 2 IMAGES
In a new post from UDN, we’re learning that future iPhones will be more expensive because of the TSMC 2nm process node, with the price-per-chip rising from $50 up to $85. One analyst advised NOT taking the price estimates too seriously, as the A18 Pro chips made on TSMC 3nm are variously estimated from $45 all the way up to $135.
Apple has been TSMC’s largest customer for close to a decade now, with the company becoming TSMC’s first 2nm client in 2025 with its new iPhone 17 next year. We reported back in May 2024 that a few of Apple’s high-level executives ‘secretly’ met with TSMC to seucre its first batch of 2nm production capacity (which would be used for the iPhone 17) and would mature in 2026 for the iPhone 18 Pro, and its beefed-up A20 Pro chip.
The last we heard about the iPhone 18 was from insider Ming-Chi Kuo, who posted on X back in September 2024: “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 2-nanometer processor”.