The iteration of Apple’s iPhone line of smartphones is relentless, with a new one expected every year. The last one, the iPhone 6, was released on September 19, and while that may still be fresh in our memories, Apple is always looking ahead to the next hardware release. With that in mind, it has already got Samsung producing the processor that will be at the heart of next year’s iPhone 7.
The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus both contained a 64-bit Apple A8 system-on-a-chip. It is produced using a 20nm process by TSMC, runs at 1.4GHz, and includes a quad-core PowerVR Series 6XT GX6450 GPU. It’s a powerful chip that uses the ARMv8-A instruction set. For the Apple A9, Samsung has regained its chip contract with Apple, which it lost to TSMC for the A8. The reason Apple is using Samsung again? The company’s ability to produce 14nm FinFET chips.
Smartphone manufacturers always want the best of both worlds when it comes to selecting a processor. They want as much performance as possible while at the same time drawing very little power. Moving from a 20nm to a 14nm manufacturing process will achieve a nice bump in performance while reducing power use, but the use of FinFET will also help. FinFET is basically thin silicon fins used on the chip to help limit current leak, therefore making the processor even more power efficient.
Samsung is producing the A9 chips at its Austin, Texas manufacturing facility, and is already showing strong yields of the finished part. TSMC is beginning to produce FinFET processors, but only at 16nm. That doesn’t rule them out as a partner for A9 production, but Samsung’s production certainly looks to be the better option at the moment, even if Apple would rather not work with their rival.
