SEOUL, Feb 2, 2026, 17:00 (KST)
- Tech reports say next flagship Android chips could launch in the same month as the iPhone 18, tightening a key Apple advantage.
- Separate reports link Samsung’s 2nm push to a custom Qualcomm chip for the Galaxy S27 Ultra, but others say that switch is unlikely this cycle.
- The race matters for chipmakers and foundries as 2nm manufacturing ramps and costs rise.
igor´sLAB reported that flagship Android phones using Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and MediaTek’s Dimensity 9600 could arrive in the same month as Apple’s iPhone 18 lineup. A tighter calendar would pit the industry’s first 2-nanometre-class mobile chips — a new manufacturing generation aimed at more speed with less power draw — against each other almost at once. (igor´sLAB)
For Apple, the weeks between its iPhone reveal and the first Android flagships have been a useful breathing space: reviews, pre-orders, early sales. Closing that gap could force rivals to ship in volume sooner, not just tease features.
The timing also matters for foundries — contract chipmakers that build processors for others. Securing early capacity at TSMC or Samsung could shape pricing and supply for next season’s top phones, especially as memory parts get tighter.
In a Jan 30 post, Wccftech said two Weibo tipsters were pointing to September as a shared unveiling window for Apple’s A20 chips, Qualcomm’s next Snapdragon and MediaTek’s next Dimensity. The site also said Apple would likely stick with TSMC’s N2 process while rivals move to an enhanced N2P, and warned that a DRAM squeeze — DRAM is the main memory chip used in phones — could still disrupt schedules. (Wccftech)
SamMobile, in a Jan 29 report, tied the chip calendar to Samsung’s own strategy, saying a China-sourced rumor pointed to a “custom-tuned” Snapdragon version for the Galaxy S27 Ultra rather than Samsung’s in-house Exynos processor. It added that the same rumor claimed Samsung could manufacture that Qualcomm chip on its 2nm process, reviving talk of Samsung winning premium foundry work back from TSMC. (SamMobile)
Gizchina pushed back on that idea on Jan 28, saying a Smart Chip Insider post suggested Qualcomm’s Gen 6 parts were effectively locked to TSMC’s N2P and too far along for a late foundry switch ahead of a 2026 launch. It said the same source framed any Samsung role as more likely for later generations, as Qualcomm looks to “dual-source” — split production between foundries — to manage cost and supply risk. (Gizchina)
Samsung’s broader foundry pitch has been building for weeks. Reuters reported on Jan 7 that Cristiano Amon was quoted by the Korea Economic Daily as saying Qualcomm was in talks with Samsung Electronics on contract manufacturing of 2nm chips. Samsung co-CEO and chip chief Jun Young-hyun said the company’s recent supply deals left its foundry business “primed for a great leap forward.” (Reuters)
Apple’s own iPhone 18 plans could be less straightforward than a single September rollout. Reuters reported on Jan 30 that Nikkei Asia said Apple was prioritising its highest-end iPhones for a 2026 launch while delaying the standard iPhone 18 into the first half of 2027, citing people familiar with the plan. After quarterly results, Tim Cook told Reuters demand for the latest handsets was “staggering.” (Reuters)
The manufacturing jump is not just a label. In a Sept. 2025 statement, MediaTek said it had taped out a flagship system-on-chip — a chip that bundles CPU, graphics and other functions — on TSMC’s enhanced N2P process, with the first chipset expected to be available in late 2026. “MediaTek’s innovations powered by TSMC’s 2nm technology underscores our industry leadership,” MediaTek President Joe Chen said, while Kevin Zhang called N2P “a significant step forward.” (Mediatek)
TSMC, on its website, says its 2nm (N2) technology started volume production in the fourth quarter of 2025 and uses first-generation nanosheet transistors — a new structure designed to improve performance and power use as chip features shrink. (Tsmc)
But the September pile-up remains speculative. The reports hinge on Chinese social-media tipsters, and chip roadmaps can shift with yields, costs, export controls or a single missing part in the supply chain. A slip in 2nm readiness or a deeper memory crunch would widen the gap again, leaving Apple with the same old head start.
The next signals will come from product launch dates and foundry order flows, not social posts. If Qualcomm and MediaTek lock in a September cadence — and if Samsung can actually take a slice of 2nm volume — the fight over iPhone 18 season could start earlier and get messier.
