Over the past decade or so, smartphones have shrunk in size despite adding new features and functionalities. The latest Digitimes report says that Apple could start using smaller components to make room for larger batteries on iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks.

Apple is planning to increase the adoption of IPD’s or integrated passive devices used for peripheral devices. The newer chips are compact and offer better performance. In other words, Apple could save significant space inside its devices while gaining on the performance front. Furthermore, the company will use the newly gained space to incorporate larger batteries.

Apple is expected to significantly increase the adoption of IPD (integrated passive devices) for new iPhones and other iOS products, providing robust business opportunities for manufacturing partners TSMC and Amkor, according to industry sources.

According to the report, Apple has approved TSMC’s plan to use the 6th generation process and mass-produce IPD’s. The slimmer chips will then be used on iPhones and iPads.

Peripheral chips for iPhones, iPad, and MacBook series are going slimmer with higher performance to allow more space for larger-capacity battery solutions for the devices, with the demand for IPDs to grow sharply in line with the trend, the sources said.

Previous report has already hinted that the upcoming iPhone 13 will come equipped with larger batteries. The leaked schematics suggest that iPhone 12 would be thicker to accommodate larger batteries. That being said, the report doesn’t mention whether iPhone 13 will use IPD’s.

Our Take

Some of the main advantages of using IPD include smaller size and performance gain. The IPD technology is known for low power consumption, better heat dissipation, and high reliability. Once IPD is implemented, Apple gets the freedom to increase battery size or use a more advanced display setup.