iPhone 17: Newer 3nm Technology Expected for A19 and A19 Pro Chips

Apple's next-generation A19 chip for the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Air and A19 Pro chip for the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max will be manufactured with TSMC's latest, third-generation 3nm process called "N3P," analyst Jeff Pu said today, in a broader tech-related research note with Hong Kong-based investment bank Haitong.

iPhone 17 Pro Max Smaller Notch Feature
The current A18 and A18 Pro chips for the iPhone 16 lineup are manufactured with TSMC's second-generation 3nm process "N3E," while the A17 Pro chip in the iPhone 15 Pro models is manufactured with TSMC's first-generation 3nm process "N3B."

"N3P" is considered a process "shrink" compared to N3E, meaning that chips manufactured with the newer process will have increased transistor density. While this comes as no surprise, it means that next year's iPhone 17 models should have modestly improved performance and power efficiency compared to iPhone 16 models.

Previous reports indicated that TSMC would begin mass production of chips built with the N3P process in the second half of 2024.

In 2026, Apple is expected to use TSMC's first 2nm process for A20 chips in iPhone 18 models.

Related Roundup: iPhone 17
Tag: Jeff Pu
Buyer's Guide: iPhone 17 (Buy Now)
Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Coming Soon With These 8 New Features on Your iPhone

Thursday December 11, 2025 8:49 am PST by
Apple seeded the second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to developers earlier this week, meaning the update will be released to the general public very soon. Apple confirmed iOS 26.2 would be released in December, but it did not provide a specific date. We expect the update to be released by early next week. iOS 26.2 includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, such as a new...
iOS 26

iOS 26.4 and iOS 27 Features Revealed in New Leak

Friday December 12, 2025 10:56 am PST by
Macworld's Filipe Espósito today revealed a handful of features that Apple is allegedly planning for iOS 26.4, iOS 27, and even iOS 28. The report said the features are referenced within the code for a leaked internal build of iOS 26 that is not meant to be seen by the public. However, it appears that Espósito and/or his sources managed to gain access to it, providing us with a sneak peek...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3

Thursday December 11, 2025 11:28 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3 and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B30, up from 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 firmware is 8B28, up from 8B21. There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3 are getting expanded support for Live Translation in the European Union in iOS...
iOS 26

Apple Releases iOS 26.2 With Alarms for Reminders, Lock Screen Changes, Enhanced Safety Alerts and More

Friday December 12, 2025 10:10 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 26.2, the second major update to the iOS 26 operating system that came out in September, iOS 26.2 comes a little over a month after iOS 26.1 launched. ‌iOS 26‌.2 is compatible with the ‌iPhone‌ 11 series and later, as well as the second-generation ‌iPhone‌ SE. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones over-the-air by going to Settings >...
Google maps feaure

Google Maps Quietly Added This Long-Overdue Feature for Drivers

Wednesday December 10, 2025 2:52 am PST by
Google Maps on iOS quietly gained a new feature recently that automatically recognizes where you've parked your vehicle and saves the location for you. Announced on LinkedIn by Rio Akasaka, Google Maps' senior product manager, the new feature auto-detects your parked location even if you don't use the parking pin function, saves it for up to 48 hours, and then automatically removes it once...
AirTag 2 Mock Feature

Apple AirTag 2: Four New Features Found in iOS 26 Code

Thursday December 11, 2025 10:31 am PST by
The AirTag 2 will include a handful of new features that will improve tracking capabilities, according to a new report from Macworld. The site says that it was able to access an internal build of iOS 26, which includes references to multiple unreleased products. Here's what's supposedly coming: An improved pairing process, though no details were provided. AirTag pairing is already...
macOS Tahoe 26 Thumb

Apple Releases macOS Tahoe 26.2 With Edge Light

Friday December 12, 2025 10:08 am PST by
Apple today released macOS Tahoe 26.2, the second major update to the macOS Tahoe operating system that came out in September. macOS Tahoe 26.2 comes five weeks after Apple released macOS Tahoe 26.1. Mac users can download the macOS Tahoe update by using the Software Update section of System Settings. macOS Tahoe 26.2 includes Edge Light, a feature that illuminates your face with soft...
iOS 26

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...

Top Rated Comments

Aluminum213 Avatar
14 months ago
Just looking at my iPhone 16 pro max makes me sick to my stomach
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AF_APPLETALK Avatar
14 months ago
Omg returning my 16 Pro Max 2 TB and waiting until next year!
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
goonie4life9 Avatar
14 months ago
That's right, everybody, it's time to get excited for the BEST, MOST powerful iPhone chips that Apple has EVER released in an iPhone! And Apple didn't stop there! These are the FIRST EVER chips built WITH Apple Intelligence BUILT IN! These are truly the pro chips for pros!
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bradman83 Avatar
14 months ago
The N3E process the A18 and M4 are based on isn't really a performance or efficiency gain over N3B (A17 and M3), it actually has less transistor density and removes some more advanced lithography features. But because it's a slightly simpler process it has a much lower defect rate and is overall much cheaper and easier to produce. The A18 and M4's performance gains come mostly from architectural improvements, including moving from version 8 to version 9 of the ARM ISA.

N3P, the successor to N3E, is supposed to come with both performance and efficiency bumps, so this should make the A19 and M5 worthy successors to the A18 and M4 even if Apple doesn't make as many architectural revisions.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Removebeforeflight Avatar
14 months ago
Let‘s hope, Taiwan still exists in the near future..
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
N0ughtsAndCr0sses Avatar
14 months ago
Thin or not, I need something done with the infamous Dynamic Island
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)