iPhone 7 has been rumored to be released on September 2016 and based on the reports, it will have many sophisticated features and sport the thinnest body from the range of iPhone models. But to achieve the thin body, Apple must use new processor chip that's more compact.
The only available chip right now is the A9 and it is currently being utilized in the latest iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus flagship phones. For its production, Apple ordered from two companies namely Samsung and TSMC.
But for building and producing the A10 for the upcoming iPhone 7, it was reported that Apple will not be splitting the contract anymore but instead, awarded the whole rights to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company to be its lone supplier.
The Mac manufacturer booted out the Korean tech company because rumors have it that the A9 chips which they made did not exactly work out well with the iPhone 6 lines.
The Reason for Choosing TSMC over Samsung
TechBuffalo explained that there were many claims that Samsung's processor was bad or low-grade because the units that it run get less battery life. However, it was said that this is not the same with TSMC manufactured chips, for it is working well and battery life is significantly longer — about two hours more.
CultofMac added that the culprit for the low battery life was the A9 processors and when tested, it appeared that the Samsung-made was a little off. This controversy was dubbed as the "chipgate" event.
In an effort to clear this issue, Apple contradicted the reports and said that there wasn't any perceptible difference between the A9 chips that were sourced from two different companies. But despite this, it was alleged that Cupertino is favoring TSMC for building the A10 processors planned for iPhone 7.
In addition, it was learned that Samsung and TSMC's chips have different sizes, with Samsung being smaller by two counts — 14-nanometer vs. TSMC's 16-nanometer. The smaller size is obviously the better choice if Apple is aiming to make iPhone 7 the thinnest phone model, however due to the performance, it ultimately chose the Taiwanese firm.
iPhone 7's assumed processor chip, the A10 is still being developed and it is reportedly being fitted with InFO WLP, the fan-out wafer-level packaging technology that can reduce power consumption. It appears that this is another factor which contributed to Apple's decision to source the advanced chips from the Taiwan group.
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