iPhone 15 Pro to be a POWERHOUSE! Thanks to 3nm TSMC chipset

The iPhone 15 Pro is likely to use the advanced 3nm node for its chipset, which could make it the most powerful phone in 2023.

iPhone 15 series could debut the 3nm based A17 chips in late 2023. (Representational Image) (HT Tech)

When it comes to chipset power, the iPhone 14 series this year isn't likely to get any bragging rights. The iPhone 14 is said to use the same A15 Bionic 5nm chip as the iPhone 13 Pro, whereas the iPhone 14 Pro could use the new A16 chip based on the enhanced 5nm process. This could mean that Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 powered phones are superior to the upcoming iPhone 14 models. However, Apple could redeem the bragging rights for the most powerful smartphone chip in 2023 with the iPhone 15 Pro.

Based on a report from Digitimes, the CEO of TSMC says, “N3E will further extend our N3 family with enhanced performance, power and yield. We observed a high level of customer engagement at N3E, and volume production is scheduled for around one year after N3." The N3E yield is likely to come up in the iPhone 15 Pro with Apple A17 chip, which is expected to come by next September.

iPhone 15 Pro to have a mega power advantage?

With the mass production of the N3E node by TSMC expected to happen in late 2023, it could be the iPhone 15 series only utilising the benefits of the new process. Qualcomm is expected to make its next-generation Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip available by early 2023 for flagship Android phones and it could rely on the 4nm process for another year. This could give the 3nm A17 chip a huge advantage with regards to power efficiency and overall performance.

The same could be said for MediaTek which is expected to announce its successor to the Dimensity 9000 chip earlier in 2023. However, both Qualcomm and MediaTek could announce their 2024 chips with the 3nm node process. That will give Apple a huge bragging right for at least half a year.

For now, Apple is expected to use the beefed up version of the A15 Bionic chip on the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max. This enhanced version is already in use on the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max, with a hexa-core GPU and 6GB RAM. The Apple A16 chip on the iPhone 14 Pro is expected to use the enhanced 5nm node with slightly more raw power and better thermals