MediaTek and Qualcomm are about to close the performance gap with Apple

Qualcomm and MediaTek are pushing to adopt TSMC's 2nm N2P process in 2026 to gain an early performance edge over Apple's upcoming A20 and A20 Pro chips.

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The move could see their next-gen SoCs target higher clock speeds to deliver better single and multi-core performance. According to a report from WCCF Tech, citing Weibo Smart Chip Insider, both companies are prioritizing the more advanced N2P node over the standard N2 process, despite the higher cost-per-unit associated with it.

2nm chipsets from Qualcomm and MediaTek could be 20 percent more expensive than current flagship SoCs. This raises questions about how many OEMs will be willing to absorb the cost, especially in a market where price sensitivity is growing due to factors such as AI gobbling up DRAM.

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Apple, which has long benefited from a first-mover advantage in acquiring the best products from TSMC, is now facing a dual threat as both major Android chipset makers race to close the performance gap. However, the higher cost of N2P-based SoCs may slow their adoption across the rest of the device range, particularly in mid-range devices.

If Qualcomm and MediaTek succeed, the 2nm race could redefine smartphone performance benchmarks. But if the cost barriers prove too steep, the performance advantage may come at the expense of the chip not being widely adopted throughout the market.

In other news, NVIDIA has confirmed that GeForce NOW has been hacked and pledges full support for an investigation into the breach. For more information on this story, or to check out the severity of the breach, check out the link below.