Recent rumors suggest Qualcomm plans to move to TSMC's 2nm N2P process for the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6, a chip said to support LPDDR6 RAM and UFS 5.0 storage. Commercial Times now reports that MediaTek has joined the trend, choosing to launch the Dimensity 9600 on the same lithography technology. The Taiwanese company previously announced that it had completed the tape-out of its first 2nm chip, which is expected to launch in late 2026. Another leaker has dismissed the report, claiming that Apple, Qualcomm and MediaTek will all release SoCs on the standard 2nm N2 node, but most reports now lean toward these Android chipmakers moving to TSMC's enhanced N2P variant. The move suggests the technology race between Android chipmakers and Apple is entering a fiercer phase, one where whoever holds the better manufacturing process gains the advantage.
Why Are Android Rivals Choosing the Enhanced 2nm N2P Process?
The reason Apple's rivals are picking TSMC's 2nm N2P process (expected to enter mass production in the second half of 2026) may be that they are looking for a clear edge in the lithography race. Using the same manufacturing process (such as the standard N2) is not enough to give Qualcomm and MediaTek an advantage, because Apple's experience in developing in-house CPU and GPU cores has already put it ahead of its competitors.
The reason is simple: Apple has been developing its own chipsets for many years and has a talented team of engineers who have designed custom CPU and GPU cores that outperform those of its competitors. For example, the efficiency cores in this year's A19 Pro chip deliver up to 29% better performance without increasing power consumption. That is a remarkable achievement in the chip industry. Qualcomm only recently joined the "game" of designing its own cores, thanks to its acquisition of Nuvia. As a result, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is only the company's second smartphone SoC to use entirely in-house CPU cores.
Meanwhile, the Dimensity 9500 still relies on standard ARM CPU and GPU designs. That helps MediaTek keep production costs down, but the trade-off is slower performance and lower power efficiency than Apple's chips.
TSMC and the Strategy Around Scarce 2nm Supply
Another reason Qualcomm and MediaTek may be choosing TSMC's enhanced 2nm N2P wafers is that Apple was previously reported to have secured more than half of the initial 2nm supply to keep competitors out. With Qualcomm and MediaTek left hunting for "breadcrumbs" this way, moving to the N2P node becomes a viable alternative.
Using the enhanced N2P process could give Android chipmakers a chance at faster chip supply, or at least less exposure to the N2 shortage that Apple has cornered. Analysts estimate that TSMC's 2nm process will be a scarce resource next year, with the manufacturer expected to mass-produce only 15,000 to 20,000 wafers per month by the end of 2025. This limited supply further fuels the race to secure a preferred manufacturing process.
For now, we cannot confirm whether Commercial Times is simply repeating old information, but this is the first time the outlet has mentioned MediaTek. We recommend readers treat this information as a reference point only. Even so, the shift to N2P clearly shows that Android chipmakers are trying to gain a technology advantage to catch up with the superior performance of Apple Silicon, especially in power efficiency.
