LONDON: It’s only January, and we’re already hearing rumors about the next-gen iPhone.
The latest reports, however, focus on the upcoming phone’s internal components—namely, which company will be making the chips for Apple’s next iPhone. According to South Korea’s Maeil Business Newspaper, Samsung will be producing the bulk of the new chips.
As noted by Reuters, Samsung will be responsible for about 75 percent of iPhone chip production, which will be made in the company’s Austin, Texas factory.
Neither Samsung nor Apple immediately responded to PCMag’s request for comment.
Rumors about new chip partners for Apple have circulated for years. Following the launch of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, Chipworks said the Apple A8 in the smartphones was manufactured on TSMC’s 20nm process instead of the 28nm Samsung process used by the A7.
While Apple might want to ditch Samsung for competitive reasons, it’s tricky because Samsung is such a powerhouse in the space and has the means to produce the components Apple needs for its gadgets.
The news comes after reports that Samsung would exclusively use its own chips in the next version of its best-selling Galaxy S smartphone, rather than those from Qualcomm. But some industry watchers cast doubt on the reports, pointing out that Samsung has never used Qualcomm exclusively in its Galaxy S line of phones.
November rumors suggested Samsung is starting from scratch with its Galaxy S6, codenamed “Project Zero.” Some possible specs include a Quad HD display with a 2,560-by-1,440 resolution and the same IMX240 camera sensor used on the Note 4. It may also come with Google’s new Android 5.0 Lollipop mobile OS, 3GB of RAM, and a new LTE modem designed by Samsung. Expect more at February’s Mobile World Congress.
