Latest news with #GFsecurities
Phone Arena
04-06-2025
- Phone Arena
You can expect next year's iPhone 18 line to run cooler, faster, and have improved battery life
Have you noticed that application processors are getting more powerful and energy efficient every two to three years? That's because foundries develop lower process nodes resulting in smaller transistors that are show-horned into semiconductors. The more transistors inside a chip, known as the Transistor Count, the more powerful and energy-efficient a chip is. Also important is the Transistor Density which measures the number of transistors per square millimeter (Tr/mm²). Smaller node numbers usually indicate the higher density of a chip. A higher Transistor Density means that more transistors can be packed into the same physical space. Or, the foundry could make a chip with the same number of transistors much smaller. Higher density chips mean that the component can have a smaller die size allowing more to be cut from a silicon wafer thus reducing the cost of each chip. When transistors are closer together, which happens when a chip has a high Transistor Density, the electrical signals have less space to travel reducing latency and improving performance. According to Jeff Pu, an analyst with GF Securities, next year the iPhone 18 series will be powered by the A20 and A20 Pro application processors. These chipsets will be built by TSMC using its first-generation 2nm node known as N2. Thus, the A20 and A20 Pro will be the first 2nm processors found inside an iPhone and it will happen with next year's iPhone 18 and iPhone 18 Pro models respectively. Pu adds that in addition to being built using TSMC's 2nm process node, next year's iPhone application processors could feature a new packaging design called Wafer-Level Multi-Chip Module (WMCM). With this new design, multiple chips are integrated into the wafer before the latter is diced into individual chips. This would allow memory to be closer to parts of the chipset that use it such as the CPU, GPU, and Neural Engine. The shorter transits will improve the performance of the chip while allowing the phone to run cooler. It also could improve the handset's battery life. The size of the A20 and A20 Pro should be smaller than the A19 and A19 Pro SoCs that will power the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro lines this year. The smaller die size is expected to help make the A20 and A20 Pro as much as 15% faster than its predecessor and up to 30% more efficient.
Phone Arena
04-06-2025
- Business
- Phone Arena
iPhone 18 Pro might debut Apple's boldest chip upgrade in years
Apple's next big chip leap might be closer than we think. A fresh rumor hints at some major behind-the-scenes changes for 2026's A20 chip – and if true, it could set the stage for some of Apple's most exciting devices yet. We are yet to see the iPhone 17 series and its reported dramatic redesign, but rumors and leaks about next year's iPhone 18 series are spreading like wildfire. We're hearing that the base iPhone 17 may come with the iPhone 16's chip, but the Pro models will get upgraded to a new one, albeit still built on a 3nm process. It seems the jump may be bigger with the A20 chip, the one that's supposed to power the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max. According to GF Securities analyst Jeff Pu, the Cupertino tech giant may launch the A20 processor with the Pro-branded iPhone 18 and the mysterious first foldable from the company. Pu says that the new chip will use the 2nm process. As I already mentioned, the A18 chip (the current one) is built on a second-gen 3nm process, known as N3E. The upcoming A19, which is likely to power the iPhone 17 Air, is said to use a third-gen, N3P, process, but still 3nm. The process the A20 may use is referred to as N2. It would be a first-gen process. Basically, what this could mean is that the A20 may be about 15% faster than the A19, and more efficient (about 30% less power used than its predecessor). The iPhone 16 Pro sports the A18 Pro chip. | Image Credit - Apple It's been months that the rumor about the iPhone 18 models sporting a 2nm has been going around. Earlier, Ming-Chi Kuo stated all iPhone 18 models would come with such a chip, only to change his opinion later – to indicate that only the iPhone 18 Pro models would come with this chip. But there's another aspect to this story worth mentioning. A physical redesign of the chip is also rumored. Yes, a reduction in chip fabrication size is always beneficial, but a new design could bring even more advantages. Pu believes Apple will use TSMC's new Wafer-Level Multi-Chip Module, or WMCM. This new packaging process reportedly puts the memory straight onto the chip wafer. This means the memory will reside closer to the CPU, GPU, and Neural Engine. Thus, memory bandwidth should increase, as well as performance. Such a design, featuring shorter transits, will also help the hardware run cooler and even provide better battery life to the device. There were previous rumors about such a design originating in the Chinese social media website Weibo. However, Pu's notes are giving credibility to this rumor now. The iPhone 18 series is still shrouded in mystery, expected in 2026. Before these phones, we have the iPhone 17 phones to look forward to, coming in the fall of this year. There may be a new design to the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, and also a new model may come to replace the 'Plus' – an iPhone 17 Air . The Air is expected to be a super-thin rival to the newly-announced Galaxy S25 Edge. As for Apple's first foldable iPhone , this one is expected to be a book-style foldable, similar to the Galaxy Z Fold models. A massive leak earlier this year revealed quite a lot of what we might expect from this phone, but so far, everything is unconfirmed and speculative. Meanwhile, Samsung is about to unveil (in early July) its next-gen Galaxy Z Fold – the Galaxy Z Fold 7, which is said to sport the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy, the chip in the Galaxy S25 series. Although it's very early to know for certain anything when it comes to the iPhone 18 (and 17, if I may add), this leak paints an exciting picture nonetheless. What draws me in especially when it comes to these improvements isn't the speed, per se, as for me, flagship processors are fast already, but the improvements in battery life. For me, battery life as a key aspect of the experience with a phone is of utmost importance, and any upgrades here are always welcome.
GSM Arena
31-05-2025
- Business
- GSM Arena
iPhone 17 to be an underwhelming upgrade
Vlad, 31 May 2025 A few hours ago a rumor claimed the iPhone 17 would grow its screen size to 6.3" (from 6.1" in the iPhone 16), matching the Pro model. With this rather significant upgrade in tow, you may have expected the phone to come with other substantial upgrades in other areas as well. But apparently not. According to a new research note by GF Securities analyst Jeff Pu, the iPhone 17 will be powered by the A18 chip, and will have 8GB of RAM. Those are not typos - that's the exact same chipset and RAM amount that its predecessor has. iPhone 16 So, in this regard, the iPhone 17 will just be an ever so slightly larger iPhone 16. This is despite the fact that all three other members of its family will get the A19 chip as well as 12GB of RAM. The iPhone 17 was at one point said to be considered for a memory upgrade, but that was apparently decided against after all. As for the chip staying the same as in the iPhone 16, that's a more baffling decision that clearly won't make it a best-seller. But maybe that's the point - Apple trying to nudge people towards the more expensive and more profitable Air, Pro, and Pro Max models. Apple iPhone 16 128GB 8GB RAM $ 594.90 $ 594.90 256GB 8GB RAM $ 669.00 Via
GSM Arena
31-05-2025
- Business
- GSM Arena
iPhone 17 to be an underwhelming upgrade
A few hours ago a rumor claimed the iPhone 17 would grow its screen size to 6.3" (from 6.1" in the iPhone 16), matching the Pro model. With this rather significant upgrade in tow, you may have expected the phone to come with other substantial upgrades in other areas as well. But apparently not. According to a new research note by GF Securities analyst Jeff Pu, the iPhone 17 will be powered by the A18 chip, and will have 8GB of RAM. Those are not typos - that's the exact same chipset and RAM amount that its predecessor has. iPhone 16 So, in this regard, the iPhone 17 will just be an ever so slightly larger iPhone 16. This is despite the fact that all three other members of its family will get the A19 chip as well as 12GB of RAM. The iPhone 17 was at one point said to be considered for a memory upgrade, but that was apparently decided against after all. As for the chip staying the same as in the iPhone 16, that's a more baffling decision that clearly won't make it a best-seller. But maybe that's the point - Apple trying to nudge people towards the more expensive and more profitable Air, Pro, and Pro Max models. Apple iPhone 16 Via
