Rumor: Apple to drop Samsung, go with TSMC for A10 and A11 processor production

Apple may be dropping Samsung as the manufacturer for its next-gen iPhone processors in favor of TSMC.

Back in February, it was rumored that TSMC would be the sole supplier of the A10 chip in the iPhone 7. A new report from Korea claims that the same is true of the A11 chip destined for next year’s iPhone.

At present, TSMC is already the exclusive provider of the A10 chip slated to power the next-gen iPhone. TSMC is also rumored to be the sole supplier for the A11 processor for future iOS devices.

TSMC is believed to have a technological edge on its Korean rival, beating Samsung in the race to develop 10-nanometer FinFET processes.

Benchmark tests of the iPhone 6s also showed that models with the TSMC chip ran cooler and offered better battery-life than those with the Samsung chip. While Apple described the differences as small, it may have played a role in Apple’s decision to favor the Taiwanese chipmaker.

It’s also been said that TSMC has finalized the initial design of the A11 processor.

The iPhone 7 is expected to feature upgraded cameras, neater antenna lines, better storage options, a Space Black color option, new Force Touch Home button and removal of the headphone socket.

For the iPhone 8, in contrast, there have been rumors of a Home button embedded in the display, allowing much smaller bevels, as well as an all-glass casing with AMOLED screen. If Apple is indeed planning on big design changes next year, it’s also possible that it will use a new name instead of simply incrementing it to the iPhone 8.

Granted, these are still rumors and should be taken with a grain of salt. As always, please let us know what you think in the comments.

Via 9to5Mac and DigiTimes