iPhone 17 2nm chip reports disputed by leaker with respectable record

Reports of the iPhone 17 having a 2nm chip in the two Pro models have been disputed by a leaker with a respectable track-record. They say that Apple’s first 2nm processor will instead be used in the iPhone 18.

Citing inside information they claim to have about TSMC’s forecast production capacity, they suggest that 2nm chips won’t enter production until the end of 2025 – which would be too late for the iPhone 17 …

iPhone 17 2nm chip reports

The Financial Times reported back in December of last year that TSMC had recently demonstrated its 2nm chips to Apple, suggesting that the first of these would debut in the iPhone 17 Pro in 2025.

Digitimes backed this, stating that TSMC’s 2nm chip production was “progressing well and on track for volume production in 2025.”

The same site said that the earthquake in Taiwan had not impacted the schedule, and that small-scale production would begin in Q2 2025, which would allow mass production to begin in Q3, in time for the iPhone 17 launch,.

In May of this year, TrendForce also appeared to lend its support to this schedule.

A new report says that there was a “secret meeting” between Apple chief operating officer Jeff Williams and the company’s exclusive chipmaker TSMC. It’s being speculated that the meeting may have been to agree a deal for Apple to reserve all of TSMC’s 2nm capacity, in the same way it reportedly did with 3nm tech.

An ET News report just last week reported that 2nm chip plans were running ahead of schedule.

Leaker says no, it will be the iPhone 18

However, a leaker who uses the name ‘Mobile phone chip expert‘ says the reports aren’t true, and that mass production won’t begin until the final quarter of the year.

This is nonsense fake news. It will take until the end of 2025 for 2nm production. The iPhone 17 can’t catch up at all, and the processor of the iPhone 17 still uses 3nm. The iPhone will not have 2nm until the iPhone 18. After reading the production capacity planning table, I know that this is another report by the unscrupulous media.

As MacRumors notes, the leaker has a respectable track record, being the first to report that the A16 chip would be exclusive to the two iPhone 14 Pro models, and most recently that Apple was developing its own 3nm chips for its AI servers.

9to5Mac’s Take

It’s too early to determine the accuracy of any of these reports, and it’s not really an issue likely to sway many purchasing decisions at this point.

Aside from those who upgrade every year, most of those who currently own iPhone 15 Pro models are likely to hold onto them for some time, while almost everyone else is potentially in the market for an iPhone 16 this year to take advantage of the Apple Intelligence features. Whether a 2nm chip comes to the iPhone 17 or iPhone 18 line-up isn’t really on anyone’s radar as yet.

Photo of iPhone 15 Pro Max logic board: iFixit