India, Oct. 23 -- Apple's upcoming iPhone 18 Pro could see a price increase when it launches next year, and the reason appears to lie deep inside the phone's chipset. Reports from China Times suggest that TSMC's new 2nm processor, which is expected to power the iPhone 18 series, comes with a production cost nearly 50% higher than its predecessor.

Apple has long relied on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) for its silicon, and the transition to the 2-nanometre (2nm) process represents a major leap in chip technology. However, this technological advancement has come at a steep price. TSMC's capital expenditure for developing the 2nm process has reportedly been enormous, with yields, the proportion of usable chips per batch, ...