TSMC in mass production of 10nm 'A11' chips for Apple's 'iPhone 8'
TSMC is reportedly churning out 10-nanometer "A11" processors for Apple's "iPhone 8," which is likely to be announced early next month -- even if a ship date is still nebulous.
TSMC is applying the same 10-nanometer FinFET manufacturing technique being used to make A10X chips for this year's 10.5- and 12.9-inch iPad Pros, DigiTimes said on Monday. The A10X is in fact believed to be the first chip produced with the technique, though TSMC does have other clients.
By contrast, the A10 used in the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus sports a 16-nanometer design. Shrinking allows for better performance in a similarly-sized package, including more power effienciency.
The "iPhone 8" could ship as soon as next month -- but if so, possibly in very low quantities. Indeed it's rumored that the phone will only start mass assembly in September, when typically Apple prefers to have a month or two under its belt for any new iPhone.
The company may be counting on the "iPhone 7s" and "7s Plus," which should share some "8" features -- like the "A11" and wireless charging -- but use 4.7- and 5.5-inch LCDs instead of an edge-to-edge, 5.8-inch OLED panel. They should also have physical home buttons with Touch ID, whereas the "8" will have a virtual button and may even abandon Touch ID in favor of facial recognition.
TSMC is applying the same 10-nanometer FinFET manufacturing technique being used to make A10X chips for this year's 10.5- and 12.9-inch iPad Pros, DigiTimes said on Monday. The A10X is in fact believed to be the first chip produced with the technique, though TSMC does have other clients.
By contrast, the A10 used in the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus sports a 16-nanometer design. Shrinking allows for better performance in a similarly-sized package, including more power effienciency.
The "iPhone 8" could ship as soon as next month -- but if so, possibly in very low quantities. Indeed it's rumored that the phone will only start mass assembly in September, when typically Apple prefers to have a month or two under its belt for any new iPhone.
The company may be counting on the "iPhone 7s" and "7s Plus," which should share some "8" features -- like the "A11" and wireless charging -- but use 4.7- and 5.5-inch LCDs instead of an edge-to-edge, 5.8-inch OLED panel. They should also have physical home buttons with Touch ID, whereas the "8" will have a virtual button and may even abandon Touch ID in favor of facial recognition.
Comments
It is amazing to think that the 7s/7s Plus will be typical "S" model phones that could have stood alone as worthy upgrades...and in the shadow of the 8 they will essentially just be the "good enough" model for users looking at price over everything else.
Apple has been gearing up for this for years. They started with the 5c/5s. Then the 6 series had 2 models at 2 different price points. The 7 Plus introduced the concept of a premium model (and an exclusive color) that was more expensive than other models.
7s / 7s Plus / "Pro" are different tiers, with different functionality, at different price points. The latter being the key difference between them that gives them their own segment of the market place.
Apple has every ability in the world to sell a $1000+ iPhone. But that can't be their only iPhone. Having a Good, Better, Best that span $650-$1150 allows Apple to conquer the entirely meaningful segment of the market.
A possible surprise, no 7S or 7S Plus
iPhone: A11, reduced bezels and larger display, improved camera, fingerprint sensor moved to back
iPhone Plus: A11, reduced bezels and larger display, improved camera, fingerprint sensor moved to back
iPhone Pro: A11, almost no bezel, OLED, FaceID, 3D camera, Apple Neural Processor
what I do wonder about is whether the new machine learning chip is ready for use, and if so, whether it will appear in all three phones, or possibly, just the 8.
I think that while it’s possible Apple might do that, there are reasons why they likely won’t. The two factors are heat and power consumption. While a tablet can carry a much bigger battery, which takes care of the power consumption, that leaves the heat produced by that extra input power. Phones have a small chassis. As a result, they aren’t great at heat dissipation. We all feel the phone get hot with extended use. This would make that worse, and cause lifetime problems for the hotter components.
alao, raising the voltage 10% to fine just 10% more performance, increases power draw by more than 20% it just isn’t worth it.
as for the doubling of the graphic cores, we have a similar problem, which is more power draw. With the lower resolution of the screen when compared to the tablets, it isn’t needed. Particularly for the 8, which supposedly has a tru 3 times resolution factor. The present system of sizing to 3 times in chip (for the larger + phones), and then resizing down to the screen Rez, isn’t needed, enhancing performance.
The OLED iPhone 8 will certainly have its own set of needs, but it will probably be covered under the A11. It isn't like Apple is purposely developing a "good" chip and a "great" chip at the same time. They'll make 1 great chip and tune it appropriately (an "A11X" is not "tuning").
It is a bit like what movie theaters are. Going through right now. Holloywood offers up marginal movies at a cost consummers wont tolerate and sales plummet. I dont see idiots shelling out hundreds of dollars just because one phone has an OLED screen.
frankly, while I see Apple’s OLED costing more than Samsung’s current versions they use, because of the cutout, which seems to be causing problems, I don’t see an OLED adding much to the price. We see the prices of Samsung’s phones, and they’re about what Apple charges, and are often sold at high discounts.