Schematics Allegedly Reveal M7 Successor Chip 'Phosphorus'

Apple is unsurprisingly working on a new version of the M7 co-processor for the upcoming iPhone 6, claims GeekBar (Via G 4 Games) in a post on Weibo. In this latest report, a new set of schematics allegedly showcase this new co-processor chip, which is internally labeled "Phosphorus."

phosphorus
GeekBar claims "Phosphorus" will be the successor to the M7, collecting motion data as well as processing other health-related information handled by Apple's new HealthKit API. This chip potentially is the power behind Apple's new Health app for iOS 8, which will import data from the iPhone and other third-party devices in order to create an overview of the user's health.

Apple introduced its new Health tracking app and its HealthKit API at WWDC in June. Besides encouraging developers to build health and fitness-related functionality into its device, Apple also may be talking to hospitals, health institutions and insurance companies in order to expand its HealthKit initiative beyond the user's device. In one scenario, data from the Health app could be shared with a health insurance companies in order to lower a healthy subscriber's monthly premium.

Update 9:29 AM: The "Phosphorus" component actually appears to be a barometric pressure sensor, not a next-generation M7 chip.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iOS 18

Apple Releases iOS 18.5 With New Wallpaper, Screen Time Changes, Carrier Satellite Support for iPhone 13 and More

Monday May 12, 2025 10:06 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 18.5 and iPadOS 18.5, the fifth updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating systems that came out last September. iOS 18.5 and iPadOS 18.5 come a little over a month after Apple released iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. The iOS 18.5 update has a...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

WSJ: Apple Weighing Price Hikes for iPhone 17 Lineup Without Blaming Tariffs

Monday May 12, 2025 3:36 am PDT by
Apple is considering raising prices for its upcoming iPhone 17 models set to release this fall, according to people familiar with the matter cited by The Wall Street Journal. The company reportedly aims to pair the potential price hikes with new features and design changes to justify the increased cost to consumers, rather than attributing them to U.S. tariffs on goods from China. The...
tvOS 18 Feature

Apple Releases tvOS 18.5

Monday May 12, 2025 10:01 am PDT by
Apple today released tvOS 18.5, the latest version of the tvOS operating system. tvOS 18.5 comes a little over a month after the launch of tvOS 18.4, and it is available for the Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD models. tvOS 18.5 can be downloaded using the Settings app on the ‌Apple TV‌. Open up Settings and go to System > Software Update to get the new software. ‌Apple TV‌ owners who have...
macOS Sequoia Feature

Apple Releases macOS Sequoia 15.5

Monday May 12, 2025 10:10 am PDT by
Apple today released macOS Sequoia 15.5, the fifth major update to the macOS Sequoia operating system that launched last September. macOS Sequoia 15.5 comes a little over a month after the launch of macOS Sequoia 15.4. Mac users can download the ‌‌‌macOS Sequoia 15.5‌‌‌ update through the Software Update section of System Settings. It is available for free on all Macs able to run ...
iOS 18

iOS 18.5 Expected This Week With These New Features

Monday May 12, 2025 7:20 am PDT by
Following more than a month of beta testing, Apple is expected to release iOS 18.5 to the general public this week. While the software update is relatively minor, it still includes a handful of new features and changes for iPhones. Below, we recap everything new in iOS 18.5. Pride Wallpaper Apple recently announced its 2025 Pride Collection, including a new Apple Watch band, watch face,...
Apple Logo Spotlight Blue

Report: Apple Preparing to Launch Mind-Control Support for iPhones

Tuesday May 13, 2025 6:18 am PDT by
Apple is planning to allow users to natively control iPhones, iPads, and other devices using brain signals later this year, The Wall Street Journal reports. The initiative involves a partnership with Synchron, a neurotechnology startup that produces an implantable brain-computer interface (BCI) device called the Stentrode. The Stentrode enables users with severe motor impairments, such as...

Top Rated Comments

leecbaker Avatar
140 months ago
This chip is a pressure sensor

So here's what's in the schematic in the article:

TLDR: This is a barometric pressure sensor, and most definitely not a processor of any type. I think it's safe to assume that we can expect a pressure sensor in the next iPhone- many other phones have found uses for them.
--
The first thing that threw me off- if this was the M7 or some kind of other 'processor', it would tend to communicate with sensors in a master-slave fashion over a serial protocol like SPI or I2C. It would also need some kind of data link back to the A7 (or A8 or whatever), most likely another serial line. That's not present in this diagram.

The stuff on this schematic is labelled like SPI, or a similar protocol. The line coming in from the top left is labeled MOSI- this stands for master out, slave in- it's a serial data line (going one way). It's connected to the SDI pin of the chip (serial data in), meaning that this chip must be a slave to the master SPI controller, and not the M7 or successor.

It is common to have multiple 'slave' chips hooked up to the same master (sharing data lines, one MISO and one MOSI). The master selects which chip it wants to talk to with a CS line (chip select). This is the line at the bottom left, the only one with 'PHOSPHORUS' in the net name. Since that CS line would be selecting PHOSPHORUS, and PHOSPHORUS is a slave, that tells me that PHOSPHORUS must be whatever this chip, probably a sensor (see more below!).

OSCAR was the code name of the M7, and the serial lines are labelled such that they go from sensors (e.g. the IMU) to the M7. I'm not making much of the fact that the serial lines going to this chip have labels saying they go from OSCAR (the M7) to the IMU, but are actually connected to this chip- I think they are probably just shared serial lines.

The chip pictured has the part number BMP282. I'm 99.99% sure this is a Bosch barometric pressure sensor, similar to this part BMP280 (http://www.bosch-sensortec.com/de/homepage/products_3/environmental_sensors_1/bmp280/bmp280) . Variants of one part often have slightly different part numbers- if Apple got Bosch to customize the chip for them with different packaging, or a slightly different measurement range, that would explain the difference in part number.

EDIT:
Here's what Bosch says the BMP280 chip is commonly used for:
* Enhancement of GPS navigation (e.g. time-tofirst-fix improvement, dead-reckoning, slope detection)
* Indoor navigation (floor detection, elevator detection)
* Outdoor navigation, leisure and sports applications
* Weather forecast
* Health care applications (e.g. spirometry)
* Vertical velocity indication (e.g. rise/sink speed)

Spirometry is measuring breath/lung function.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rosalindavenue Avatar
140 months ago
Working? On the processor for a phone currently being manufactured? Don't you think the work on the successor to a component to the iPhone 6 was done a long time ago?
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
troop231 Avatar
140 months ago
The definition of Phosphorus is "Phosphorus is a nonmetallic chemical element with symbol P and atomic number 15. A multivalent pnictogen, phosphorus as a mineral is almost always present in its maximally oxidised state, as inorganic phosphate rocks. It is poisonous."

What are they thinking behind the code name for this?

It's simple really.. the chip will create Phosphine gas to kill off Android users once and for all.

Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Cougarcat Avatar
140 months ago
[. In one scenario, data from the Health app could be shared with a health insurance companies in order to lower a healthy subscriber's monthly premium.


This sounds like a terrible idea to me, if not downright scary in its implications.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
japanime Avatar
140 months ago
Phosphorus?

Maybe the "killer feature" of the iPhone 6 will be that it glows in the dark — even when the screen is turned off! :D
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kdarling Avatar
140 months ago
So here's what's in the schematic in the article:

TLDR: This is a barometric pressure sensor, and most definitely not a processor of any type. I think it's safe to assume that we can expect a pressure sensor in the next iPhone- many other phones have found uses for them.

I was looking up chips when I saw your post. I think you're most likely correct. Excellent analysis!

OSCAR was the code name of the M7, and the serial lines...

That was the first clue to me, too. The lines even say Oscar to Phosphorus, so it's obviously not a replacement for the M7, but a peripheral for it.

The SPI bus is marked as IMU (inertial measurement unit .... accelerometers, etc), so it's sharing that bus with them, although it has its own chip select, as you also said.

The chip pictured has the part number BMP282. I'm 99.99% sure this is a Bosch barometric pressure sensor, similar to this part BMP280

Yep, that chip's pins also match the schematic:



TL;DR: barometric pressure sensor... leecbaker for the win!
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)