Apple has reportedly selected Taiwanese manufacturing company TSMC to remain its exclusive supplier of so-called "A12" processors for a trio of new iPhone models expected to launch in the second half of 2018, according to DigiTimes.

a12 chip
The report, citing unnamed sources within Apple's supply chain, claims the A12 chip will be manufactured based on an improved 7nm process, which should pave the way for the type of performance improvements we see in new iPhones each year.

TSMC is already the exclusive supplier of A11 Bionic chips for the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X, and it was also said to be the sole manufacturer of A10 Fusion chips for the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.

If the report is accurate, it would be a loss for Samsung, which has been attempting to win back orders from Apple for around two years. Both Samsung and TSMC supplied Apple with A9 chips for the iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, and iPhone SE, but Apple has relied upon TSMC as its sole supplier for newer devices.

The Korea Herald last July reported that Samsung had secured a deal to supply some of the A12 chips for new iPhones in 2018, but two days later, DigiTimes reported that TSMC was still likely to obtain all of the next-generation A-series chip orders for Apple's upcoming 2018 series of iPhones.

TSMC's in-house InFO wafer-level packaging is said to make its 7nm FinFET technology more competitive than Samsung's. Our own Chris Jenkins provided an in-depth technical look at this package process last September.

Related Forum: iPhone

Top Rated Comments

Jsameds Avatar
106 months ago
After recent revelations, Apple really need to start to re-think their strategy with regard to iPhones and their processors.

The A12 will be screaming fast but now is a good a time as ever to start underclocking them. iPhones don't need to be so fast, they're already more than adequate for any task you can throw at it for the next few years.

What they sorely need right now is to be reliable, with a long battery life, a long shelf life and not suffer artificial slowdown or power cut outs at 30% after a year. Underclocking can help with this.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
heov Avatar
106 months ago
After recent revelations, Apple really need to start to re-think their strategy with regard to iPhones and their processors.

The A12 will be screaming fast but now is a good a time as ever to start underclocking them. iPhones don't need to be so fast, they're already more than adequate for any task you can throw at it for the next few years.

What they sorely need right now is to be reliable, with a long battery life, a long shelf life and not suffer artificial slowdown or power cut outs at 30% after a year. Underclocking can help with this.
Or they can use a higher quality and larger battery that won't lose its ability to push out a consistent voltage after 1 year. Sire battery tech is to blame, but it can be mitigated with better batteries. Look at the iPad.. no problems.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Jsameds Avatar
106 months ago
Or they can use a higher quality and larger battery that won't lose its ability to push out a consistent voltage after 1 year. Sire battery tech is to blame, but it can be mitigated with better batteries. Look at the iPad.. no problems.
That as well.

They need to attack this problem from all sides if they want to regain lost trust.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kdarling Avatar
106 months ago
If the report is accurate, it would be a loss for Samsung, which has been attempting to win back orders from Apple for around two years.
Worse, a loss for Austin,Texas and the USA, since Samsung used a factory they built there, to supply Apple processors for years.

Thanks, Apple, for sending jobs overseas... again.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
truthertech Avatar
106 months ago
After recent revelations, Apple really need to start to re-think their strategy with regard to iPhones and their processors.

The A12 will be screaming fast but now is a good a time as ever to start underclocking them. iPhones don't need to be so fast, they're already more than adequate for any task you can throw at it for the next few years.

What they sorely need right now is to be reliable, with a long battery life, a long shelf life and not suffer artificial slowdown or power cut outs at 30% after a year. Underclocking can help with this.
If only it were that simple. Yes, for surfing the web, reading email, etc., current chips are overkill, but that processing power is needed for certain limited tasks, such as computational photography, AR/VR, etc, and no, smart phones are not powerful enough to deal with future needs by any means. AR/VR and other technologies will require ever more powerful silicon.

Fortunately, Apple has some of the best chips designers and engineers in the world, and Apple, and other manufacturers, instead use a multi-core approach, to handle the problem of dealing with processor intensive tasks and battery life. That's why you have the A10 Fusion multi-core chip which wowed the tech world.

"The high-efficiency cores are optimized for low power, and consume just a fifth of the power of the faster cores. The iPhone 7 will switch to those cores, and power down the more powerful options, when you’re performing a task like checking your email. That all translates into longer battery life: 12 to 13 hours for browsing over LTE, or about two hours more than the iPhone 6s."
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
riverfreak Avatar
106 months ago
Now that this is settled, bring on the X+ parts leaks!
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

Apple Logo Zoomed

Tim Cook Teases Plans for Apple's Upcoming 50th Anniversary

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:54 pm PST by
Apple turns 50 this year, and its CEO Tim Cook has promised to celebrate the milestone. The big day falls on April 1, 2026. "I've been unusually reflective lately about Apple because we have been working on what do we do to mark this moment," Cook told employees today, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "When you really stop and pause and think about the last 50 years, it makes your heart ...
wwdc sans text feature

Apple Rumored to Announce New Product on February 19

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld. The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld. Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
Finder Siri Feature

Why Apple's iOS 26.4 Siri Upgrade Will Be Bigger Than Originally Promised

Friday February 6, 2026 3:06 pm PST by
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do. The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up. Upgraded Architecture The next-generation...
iOS 26

iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by
While the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate is now available ahead of a public release, the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April. Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far. iOS 26.3 iPhone to Android Transfer Tool iOS 26.3 makes it easier...
iphone 17 pro dark blue 1

iPhone 18 Pro Max Rumored to Deliver Next-Level Battery Life

Friday February 6, 2026 5:14 am PST by
The iPhone 18 Pro Max will feature a bigger battery for continued best-in-class battery life, according to a known Weibo leaker. Citing supply chain information, the Weibo user known as "Digital Chat Station" said that the iPhone 18 Pro Max will have a battery capacity of 5,100 to 5,200 mAh. Combined with the efficiency improvements of the A20 Pro chip, made with TSMC's 2nm process, the...