As nifty as 5G functionality may be, it may come at a hefty cost to an iPhone’s battery life. As such, reports have indicated that Apple may switch to supplier TSMC for both a reduced battery cost as well as improved battery life with the iPhone 14 handset.
While TSMC doesn’t typically comment on single customer orders, it’s been noted that TSMC will be producing 5G RF chips using the company’s 6 nanometer production process, and that Apple is likely the largest buyer of the wafers. TSMC’s 6nm process reportedly offers a significant reduction in power consumption.
The new process also allows for physically smaller chips, all while still taking into account the performance, functions, and battery life customers want. Shrinking the size of the RF chip frees up space for additional battery capacity, too.
It’s been noted that the 5G RF chip doesn’t just handle cellular activity, and can work as a multifunction component that also enables Wi-Fi connections.
Current models of the iPhone support Wi-Fi 6, but the latest 6E standard is gaining popularity. It’s thought that the Wi-Fi 6E protocol will be present in the upcoming iPhone 14. This could allow for double the Wi-Fi antennas, increasing both bandwidth and download speeds on Wi-Fi.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
Via The Mac Observer and Economic Daily News