TSMC’s upcoming 2nm manufacturing technology is shaping up to be a key battleground for next-generation mobile processors, and early reports suggest Apple has secured a strong position. According to information, Apple has reportedly locked in more than half of the initial capacity of TSMC’s 2nm N2 process. This capacity is expected to be used for the A20 and A20 Pro chips, which are likely to power Apple’s future iPhone lineup.
This early commitment could leave limited room for other major customers. Qualcomm and MediaTek are both preparing their first 2nm-based mobile chipsets, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and Dimensity 9600, which are expected to arrive in the second half of next year. With N2 capacity heavily allocated, both companies are now rumored to be shifting toward TSMC’s improved 2nm N2P node.
The move is said to be driven by more than just supply concerns. While N2P offers only about a 5 percent performance improvement over the base N2 process, even small gains can be meaningful at the high end of the smartphone market. Higher achievable CPU frequencies could help Qualcomm and MediaTek close the performance gap with Apple’s A20-series chips, particularly in single-core tasks where Apple traditionally holds an advantage.
Another factor supporting the rumored transition is TSMC’s approach to N2 and N2P compatibility. The foundry has indicated that both nodes share the same design rules, allowing customers to migrate designs with minimal changes. This lowers development risk and shortens timelines, making N2P a practical alternative for chipmakers facing tight N2 availability.
Efficiency remains a central issue for Android SoC vendors. On the current 3nm N3P node, Apple’s A19 Pro and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 use the same manufacturing process, yet power efficiency results differ widely. Benchmark data has shown that Qualcomm’s flagship requires significantly more power to outperform Apple’s chip in certain workloads, while MediaTek’s Dimensity 9500 has also lagged in performance per watt. Apple’s custom core design, including a strong focus on efficiency cores, has played a major role in that gap.
Looking ahead, the modest gains from N2P could help reduce these differences, even if they do not fully level the field. Qualcomm and MediaTek may also benefit from platform upgrades such as LPDDR6 memory and UFS 5.0 storage, which could offer bandwidth advantages over Apple’s upcoming solutions.
For now, these details remain based on industry rumors and tipster reports, some of which have shifted over time. As with previous node transitions, the real picture will only become clear once final silicon and independent testing data are available.
