Apple, Qualcomm, MediaTek to Launch 2nm Chips in 2026

According to industry reports, TSMC has begun mass production of its 2nm chips and is expanding capacity with three new fabs to meet rising demand. Apple, Qualcomm, and MediaTek are all expected to launch flagship system-on-chip designs based on this process in September 2026, signaling the gradual close of the 3nm era and setting the stage for a new round of competition in the high-end smartphone market.

In the early allocation of 2nm capacity, Apple is taking the lead and is expected to secure more than half of the initial output. These chips are widely believed to power the next-generation iPhone 18 lineup, including the A20 and A20 Pro processors, as well as Apple's rumored first foldable iPhone.

On the Android side, Qualcomm is preparing two Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 variants, using a Pro version to further differentiate its premium offerings and strengthen its position at the top end of the market. MediaTek, meanwhile, is expected to rely on the Dimensity 9600 as its main flagship platform. The company continues to favor a single-flagship strategy and has not yet confirmed a dual-chip approach, but it has already completed tape-out of its first 2nm design, keeping pace with key rivals.

Although 2nm manufacturing involves longer production cycles than 3nm, early tape-out milestones across vendors mean new products are likely to debut around the same timeframe. Analysts note that this shift could move competition away from process-node leadership alone and back toward real-world performance, power efficiency, and overall platform-level optimization—factors that matter most to device makers and advanced electronics applications.