SAN FRANCISCO—Apple Inc.'s A6—the processor powering its new iPhone 5—is likely fabricated by South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. like its predecessors, according to a
preliminary teardown of the handset done by
UBM TechInsights. Samsung was widely considered the favorite to build the processor for Apple, just as the company has done for previous generations, the A4 and A5. But tensions in the courtroom and elsewhere between the two companies in recent times led to speculation that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (TSMC) might displace the incumbent this time around.
[Get a 10% discount on ARM TechCon 2012 conference passes by using promo code EDIT. Click here to learn about the show and register.]But UBM TechInsights said early analysis of the die markings of the A6 reveal markings that are similar to the Samsung markings found in the A4 and A5 processors.
Apple A6 die marking (source: UBM TechInsights).