Qualcomm May Shift to TSMC’s 4nm Process for the Snapdragon 895 Plus

There is a possibility that Qualcomm introduces a Snapdragon 895 Plus in late 2022, which would serve as an overclocked version to the Snapdragon 895. While specification details are unknown at this stage, one tipster believes that the biggest difference would be Qualcomm switching to TSMC’s 4nm architecture to mass produce the chipset.

TSMC’s 4nm Process Would Be the Same One Used to Mass Produce Apple’s A16 Bionic

On Twitter, Ice Universe believes Qualcomm will ditch Samsung’s 4nm for the mass production of the Snapdragon 895 Plus. While it is believed that the San Diego chip giant will make use of the Korean giant’s 4nm technology for mass producing the regular Snapdragon 895, the Snapdragon 895 Plus could be fabricated by TSMC. One reason why the Taiwanese chip manufacturer is not taking Qualcomm orders is due to the ongoing silicon shortage.

This setback has also forced TSMC to give priority to Apple’s chip orders, with a previous report stating that Apple had already secured initial 4nm chipset shipments for its upcoming iPhones, iPads, and Macs. As you might have noticed in our Snapdragon 888 Plus comparison, there are insignificant differences between the Snapdragon 888, and that might have been the result of using Samsung’s inferior 5nm LPE technology when compared directly with TSMC’s node.

Snapdragon 895 → Samsung 4nm
Snadragon 895+ → TSMC 4nm

— Ice universe (@UniverseIce) July 4, 2021

Perhaps in H2, 2022, Qualcomm would be able to secure 4nm chip orders from TSMC, that is, if the chip shortage subsides. If not, then Samsung will likely mass produce the Snapdragon 895 Plus, and that can mean fewer differences between the latter and Snapdragon 895 due to the inefficient architecture. We still have to see how Qualcomm’s upcoming flagship SoC will perform, and with the first smartphone slated to launch later this year with the new chipset, we will not have to wait long.

Like the years prior, Qualcomm could announce the Snapdragon 895 in December, followed by the Snapdragon 895 Plus six to seven months after, so as always, we will continue to update our readers accordingly.

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