iPhone 16 to be cheaper than iPhone 15 Pro? Look what may be on the cards

Apple may change the technology of the A17 Bionic chip next year for the iPhone 16. Here is the big reason why.

iPhone 15 Pro is likely to pack the A17 Bionic chipset. (Representative Image) (Unsplash)

iPhone 15 series launch is getting nearer! Apple is expected to launch the flagship iPhone series in September 2023 with some notable upgrades. And everyone is expecting the A17 chipset on the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. This chip is expected to mark a significant technological leap as it will become the company's first chip manufactured using the 3nm fabrication process. This advancement promises substantial improvements in both performance and efficiency compared to chips used by Apple earlier.

However, it seems that this process will not remain the same for long! As per a leak shared on the social media site Weibo, Apple is planning to switch the manufacturing process of its chipset next year, MacRumors reported. The big benefit for Apple fans is that it could translate into the iPhone 16 price being slashed in a meaningful way next year.

How iPhone 16 price could be cheaper

MacRumors report suggested that the A17 Bionic chip will be manufactured using TSMC's N3B process. However, Apple plans to transition to the N3E process sometime next year. This shift is reportedly driven by cost-cutting considerations, although it may come at the expense of slightly reduced efficiency.

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TSMC's N3B represents the original 3nm node developed in collaboration with Apple, while N3E is a simplified and more widely accessible node used by most other TSMC clients. N3E features fewer EUV layers and lower transistor density compared to N3B, resulting in some efficiency tradeoffs.

Consequently, Apple will need to redesign its future chips to leverage TSMC's latest advancements. Initially, there were indications that Apple intended to use N3B for the A16 Bionic chip, but due to its unavailability within the required timeframe, the company had to revert to using N4 instead.

It is possible that Apple will use the CPU and GPU core design originally developed for the A16 Bionic chip in the initial A17 chips with N3B, before transitioning to the original A17 designs with N3E in 2024.