"Hey Siri" support and possibly wireless charging case alongside AirPower charging mat.
First Photo of Apple's A10 Chip for iPhone 7 Appears With Mid-July Production Date
Less than one month before Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, Chinese repair shop GeekBar has shared the first photo of what appears to be the next-generation A10 chip destined for the smartphones on Weibo. The number of pins appears to be consistent with the A9 chip's 64-bit LPDDR4 interface.
While the photo could easily be faked, the chipset is labeled with a 1628 date code, corresponding with mid-July production. Additionally, GeekBar has accurately leaked components for unreleased Apple products in the past, including the iPhone 6s display assembly and iPhone 6 schematics showing a 128GB storage option.
What is pictured here is not the complete A10 chip and may be the RAM layer that is stacked on top of the A10 wafer as one system-on-a-chip, rather than the processor itself. Apple A-series chips are typically labeled on all four edges, suggesting this chipset is in a mid-production state.
TSMC is expected to be the sole supplier of Apple's faster A10 chip based on its 16nm FinFET WLP process. The new processor should bring performance improvements to the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. The smartphones are expected to be announced on September 7 and released on September 16.
Last year, TSMC-built A9 chips were found to outperform Samsung-built A9 chips in early iPhone 6s battery benchmarks, but subsequent tests showed less significant impacts that Apple later said amounted to only a 2-3% difference in "real world" battery life. Samsung is not expected to be an A10 chip supplier.
While the photo could easily be faked, the chipset is labeled with a 1628 date code, corresponding with mid-July production. Additionally, GeekBar has accurately leaked components for unreleased Apple products in the past, including the iPhone 6s display assembly and iPhone 6 schematics showing a 128GB storage option.
What is pictured here is not the complete A10 chip and may be the RAM layer that is stacked on top of the A10 wafer as one system-on-a-chip, rather than the processor itself. Apple A-series chips are typically labeled on all four edges, suggesting this chipset is in a mid-production state.
TSMC is expected to be the sole supplier of Apple's faster A10 chip based on its 16nm FinFET WLP process. The new processor should bring performance improvements to the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. The smartphones are expected to be announced on September 7 and released on September 16.
Last year, TSMC-built A9 chips were found to outperform Samsung-built A9 chips in early iPhone 6s battery benchmarks, but subsequent tests showed less significant impacts that Apple later said amounted to only a 2-3% difference in "real world" battery life. Samsung is not expected to be an A10 chip supplier.
Related Roundup: iPhone 7
[ 87 comments ]
Top Rated Comments
(View all)
30 months ago
I never understood the value of seeing what the chip looks like. It looks the same as all the other ones except there's a 10 instead of 9.
30 months ago
So basically we've seen everything inside and out. I guess the packaging is next?
The only thing left for the keynote day is Tim's faux-excited excitement of how excited he is for the exciting things ahead.
30 months ago
I never understood the value of seeing what the chip looks like. It looks the same as all the other ones except there's a 10 instead of 9.
I agree. when they start offering the chips in gold, rose gold, etc, then I'll be a little more excited.
30 months ago
Anyway, these pictures aren't that special - the A10 chip will be announced in a couple weeks anyway. But I've got pictures of next year's chips!!!
30 months ago
The only thing left for the keynote day is Tim's faux-excited excitement of how excited he is for the exciting things ahead.
It'll go nicely with the faux-outrage from MR posters saying how boring the iPhone is and this is the last one they ever buy from Apple.
[ Read All Comments ]
In late August, a new accessory brand called Nimble emerged from a trio of former Mophie employees, offering customers various charging devices that are all built and shipped with a focus on the...
Satechi today announced the launch of a new Aluminum Type-C PD & QC Wireless Charger that's designed to charge iPhone and Android devices at their maximum wireless charging speeds.
For...
PayPal on eBay today is offering $100 App Store and iTunes gift cards for $85, marking the latest 15 percent discount on the cards and a good chance for those who have been waiting on a deal...
Apple has enhanced Spotlight search in macOS in recent years, with the addition of Spotlight Suggestions allowing it to tap into a variety of online data sources like weather and sports....
Apple has ceded its position to Walmart as the third largest online retailer in the U.S., according to a new report out this week (via TechCrunch).
Research provider eMarketer Retail calculates...
Adobe today updated its Lightroom app for iOS devices with support for Apple's latest iPhones and iPads.
Lightroom CC for iOS will now display properly on Apple's fall devices, including...
Tap, the company behind the futuristic Tap wearable keyboard, today announced the launch of a new TapAcademy app for iOS that's designed to make it easier to learn to use the keyboard.
Tap...
Verizon today announced the launch of a new "My Numbers" feature designed to let you add up to four additional numbers to a smartphone with unlimited calling and texting, for a total of five...
