Apple is reportedly locking down more than half of TSMC’s upcoming 2nm N2 manufacturing capacity, a move that could dramatically limit how much cutting-edge silicon is available to other major chip designers. With so much of the earliest 2nm supply effectively spoken for, rivals like Qualcomm and MediaTek are said to be searching for workable alternatives to keep their next flagship smartphone processors on track.
According to ongoing industry chatter, the stopgap plan for both Qualcomm and MediaTek has been TSMC’s 2nm N2P process, a slightly refined version of the base N2 node. The appeal is straightforward: N2P is expected to offer improvements that can help chips hit higher CPU clock speeds, and just as importantly, it may be easier to secure enough wafer supply compared to fighting over limited N2 capacity. The problem is cost. New reports suggest that the price of TSMC’s 2nm N2P wafers is so high that at least one of these companies may be rethinking its strategy.
That’s where Samsung Foundry enters the conversation. A well-known tipster on Weibo claims a “certain tech giant” is considering a move to Samsung’s 2nm GAA (Gate-All-Around) process, largely due to pricing concerns around TSMC’s 2nm options. While the post doesn’t name the company outright, the rumor mill points more strongly to Qualcomm than MediaTek.
Qualcomm has a long history of exploring dual-sourcing strategies, splitting production across multiple foundries to reduce risk and control costs. That approach can help a chipmaker avoid being boxed in by tight capacity or premium pricing from a single supplier. It’s also not the first time rumors have suggested Qualcomm and MediaTek might look at Samsung’s 2nm GAA to offset expensive TSMC wafers, even if some observers argue the timeline for a major switch could be difficult.
Still, Qualcomm’s apparent interest doesn’t seem to be fading. Previous reports claim Qualcomm has already received sample chips tied to Samsung’s 2nm GAA technology for evaluation, signaling that discussions and testing may be further along than casual speculation. If performance, yields, and power efficiency meet expectations, a deeper Qualcomm–Samsung partnership could become a real option in the near future.
MediaTek, meanwhile, appears less likely to be the mystery company in this particular rumor. The company hasn’t been consistently linked to Samsung’s 2nm plans in the same way, and it’s often positioned as having a more cost-competitive flagship strategy overall.
Pricing pressure is a major reason these rumors keep resurfacing. Estimates circulating in the industry suggest MediaTek’s next top-tier chip could cost significantly less than Qualcomm’s competing flagship processor. In fact, one claim puts MediaTek’s flagship SoC at around 50 percent cheaper, while Qualcomm’s partners could face pricing as high as $280 per unit for its premium chip. If those figures are even close to accurate, it highlights why Android phone makers may reserve Qualcomm’s most expensive next-generation silicon for only the priciest “ultra” flagships, while looking for alternatives for models that need to balance performance with margins.
All of this makes Samsung’s 2nm GAA node an increasingly tempting bargaining chip in the broader foundry battle—especially if TSMC’s 2nm capacity remains constrained and its wafer pricing stays elevated. The big unknown is whether Qualcomm will fully commit to a switch, or use Samsung mainly as leverage to negotiate better terms and secure enough production for future Snapdragon launches.
For now, the smartest takeaway is that the 2nm era is shaping up to be defined not only by performance gains, but also by supply access and manufacturing economics—and those factors may influence which flagship Android phones get which chips in the next cycle.
