We saw huge performance gains in the trend when all silicon makers began to downscale the chipset manufacturing nodes, and it seems like the industry has been locked at 3nm for a long. Apple had planned to employ a 2nm Node for the iPhone 17 series, but according to Ming-Chi Kuo, that won’t happen until the iPhone 18 of 2026.
Recent rumors of Apple and TSMC shaking hands over a 2nm chip deal gave us our first indication that the iPhone 17 lineup would be the one to employ them. However, Ming-Chi Kuo made a post on X disputing the entirety of the circumstance.
He stated that even the leaked iPhone 17 Air will not employ the old TSMC N3P 3nm Node in iPhone 17 devices manufactured in 2025. The 2nm node won’t be available for iPhones until 2026 and the iPhone 18 series, and even then, not every iPhone in that range will have it.
Only the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max will use their 2nm engine; non-Pro models will continue using outdated 3nm technology. He went on to warn that because of this manufacturing technique, Pro iPhones would become much more expensive, and as a result, non-Pro Apple iPhones would continue to use the outdated silicon.
Every time TSMC reduces the node’s size, chipset prices have been known to rise because they require improved R&D and more precise engineering and technology. That occasionally leads to production prices skyrocketing, but as the chips are stronger and more efficient, the outcomes are worthwhile for us.