iPhone 6 Rumors: Samsung to Help Produce A8 Chips
The iPhone 6 rumors point to the device featuring the company's next-gen A8 chip.
TSMC will handle a bulk of the processor's production with the other part being taken by Samsung. Despite Apple's attempts to reduce its dependence on its Korean competitor, the company will also split the production of its A9 chips between both of these companies, according to a new report from DigiTimes.
Samsung has signed a contract to produce 30 to 40 percent of Apple's 14-nm A9 chip family in 2015 with TSMC handling the bulk again.
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A previous report that surfaced in July was the first to link Samsung with the A9 chip stating that the company signed a deal to cooperate in producing these processors based on a 14-nanometer process node.
Samsung has worked with Apple for quite some time and played a serious role in the production of the A7 chip found inside the iPhone 5S. The chip produced at a smaller 28-nm node compared to the 32-nm A6.
The A8 chip will end up being for the iPhone 6 which is also rumored to feature a 4.9-inch display.
An older report from the Chinese site C Technology said Apple tests for an iPhone with this size display along with a new iPhone 5C model began recently. The claim greatly differs from a Bloomberg report that surfaced earlier this year stating that the two next-generation iPhones will feature curved displays at 4.7 and 5.5-inches.
"Two models planned for release in the second half of next year will feature larger displays with glass that curves downward at the edges, said Bloomberg's source. "Sensors that can distinguish heavy or light touches on the screen may be incorporated into subsequent models."
The 5.5-inch iPhone is said to be a Galaxy Note 3 competitor while the 4.7-inch model will be Apple's answer to the high-demand in the market for larger screens.
Both of these handsets are still in the development stages and they will probably be released sometime during the third quarter of next year.
