Current modern smartphones, at least the flagships, use 3 nm chipsets.

If manufacturers like Apple and Samsung want to keep modern smartphones slim while achieving performance gains, they need even smaller chip sets. While average consumers are unlikely to care, there is a battle going on behind the scenes.

Apple is reportedly stockpiling TSMC’s (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) entire 2nm chip offering for the foreseeable future. Samsung, on the other hand, is trying to produce its own 1.4 nm chipsets by 2027, which it is finding very difficult.

Reports suggest that even the iPhone 17 will not have a 2nm chipset, meaning the industry won’t have to wait long to get there. Samsung, meanwhile, has been forced to abandon Exynos for its upcoming Galaxy S25 phones because yield margins are reaching 10 percent.

If Apple buys Intel and manages to make its own mobile modems for the iPhone, it can expect record profits. And if Samsung acquires Intel, it might finally be able to equip all its devices with Exynos chips.