Samsung Electronics has reached a deal with Apple to supply A9 processors for the iPhone 7 from 2015, The Korea Economic Daily reports. Samsung has been producing Apple’s mobile processors since the iPhone first launched in 2007, but recent rumors have claimed the Cupertino company has been looking to take its business elsewhere.
Apple and Samsung have been embroiled in countless legal battles in courtrooms all over the world, and Apple has reportedly been seeking other component suppliers since Samsung was found guilty of infringing its iPhone patents last August.
The company is now sourcing its iPhone 5 flash storage from Toshiba, and its iPad mini displays from LG.
Recent reports have also claimed that Apple will use TSMC for some of its processor supplies in 2014, but Samsung will still supply the bulk of its orders. And it appears this will be the case in 2015, too, as Samsung begins producing Apple’s 14-nanometer A9 chips for the iPhone 7.
According to The Korea Economic Daily, Samsung developed its “state-of-the-art” 14-nanometer chips ahead of TSMC, which is why it secured Apple’s business. It’s also thought that TSMC may struggle to produce all the chips Apple needs for its hugely popular iOS devices on its own.
The iPhone 7 will launch during the second half of 2015, according to The Korea Economic Daily, though this is when we’d expect to see the iPhone 6S.
Source: The Korea Economic Daily
