Report explains why some Galaxy S26 models could cost more

TSMC hikes silicon wafer prices for its third-generation 3nm process

Photo of a silicon wafer used as the foundation of new chips. | Image credit-Unknown

Since they have to pay TSMC the higher prices, Qualcomm and MediaTek will no doubt charge their customers more for their chips, which is why you might see Samsung raising its pricing for some of the phones in the Galaxy S26 series next year. The vivo X300, expected to be powered by the Dimensity 9500 AP, might also end up with a price increase.

The third-generation 3nm chipsets are expected to deliver a 5% performance increase at the same power consumption and a 5% to 10% savings in energy consumption at the same frequency. In a nutshell, as the process node shrinks, so does the size of the transistors used in the component. This results in a higher transistor density, which measures how many millions of transistors are shoehorned into a chip per square millimeter (MTr/mm²). The transistor density number is a very important figure. The higher the number, the more powerful and energy efficient a chip is.

Expect even higher chip pricing next year

Samsung Foundry and TSMC’s 2nm process nodes also use Gate-All-Around transistors (GAA). With GAA, the gate wraps completely around the channel, reducing current leakage and improving the drive current. Chips made using GAA transistors will show better performance and use less energy. The first iPhone models to employ a 2nm AP should be next year’s iPhone 18 series, which will feature the A20 and A20 APs.

So what will follow 2nm? TSMC should start mass production of 1.4nm chips in 2028. However, TSMC will employ a new naming scheme, which replaces nanometers with angstroms (Å). 1 nanometer will equal 10 angstroms. The 1.4nm process will therefore be referred to as A14. As for what happens after the 1.4nm process node (A14), we could see a new transistor architecture and different materials used.

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