Supply chain sources say the iPhone 14 could offer better battery life and Wi-Fi 6E connectivity thanks to a new 5G chip. Taiwan’s Economic Daily reported that TSMC has secured all orders from Apple to supply 5G radio frequency (RF) chips for the iPhone 14 series, taking over from Samsung.
The chips, likely related to Apple’s choice of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X65 modem, are said to be produced using TSMC’s 6nm process, which the supplier announced last year. TSMC said the 6-nanometer process used for 5G RF chips can provide physically smaller chips and lower power consumption.
The 6nm RF process enables chips to use less power in sub-6GHz and mmWave 5G bands while still delivering high levels of performance. In addition to being more efficient, shrinking the large RF transceiver components inside the iPhone promises to free up space. It is claimed that every additional square millimeter of space creates more space for a larger battery. The improved efficiency and miniaturization of the RF chips are said to lead to better overall battery life.
The RF transceiver chip also reportedly supports Wi-Fi 6E, which is in line with previous rumors that the iPhone 14 series will support upgraded connectivity. Wi-Fi 6E offers the features and capabilities of Wi-Fi 6, including higher performance, lower latency, and faster data rates, and extends to the 6GHz band. The extra spectrum provides more spectrum on top of existing 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi, enabling increased bandwidth and less interference.
In 2019, Apple and Qualcomm settled a legal dispute and reached a multi-year chipset supply agreement that paved the way for Apple to use Qualcomm’s 5G modems. A court filing in the settlement shows that Apple plans to use the Snapdragon X60 modem, made by Samsung, in the iPhone 13 lineup, followed by the Snapdragon X65 modem in the 2022 iPhone lineup.
Starting in 2023, Apple is expected to move away from Qualcomm’s chips and instead implement its own custom-designed 5G modems in iPhones.
The X65 is the world’s first 10 Gigabit 5G modem and antenna system for smartphones, enabling theoretical data speeds of 10 gigabits per second. While real-world download speeds may be much slower than this, the X65 has other benefits such as improved power efficiency, enhanced coverage for mmWave and sub-6GHz bands, and support for all mmWave frequencies commercialized globally.
Apple’s switch from Samsung to TSMC to make radio frequency chips for the 2022 iPhone lineup appears to be part of a final consolidation of the iPhone 14’s supply chain before mass production begins. Meanwhile, Foxconn has started trial production of the iPhone 14 Pro.