TSMC HQSource: TSMC

What you need to know

  • TSMC has outlined what to expect from the new A14 chips it is producing.
  • Those chips will likely be used in iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro.
  • Power consumption and performance improvements are outlined in a new table.

Apple's iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro will likely launch with a new Apple-designed A14 chip, but Apple isn't the company that builds those chips. Instead, that's down to TSMC and the company has outlined what we can expect in terms of performance and power consumption.

According to an Anandtech report, the new chips and their 5nm fabrication process should save around 30% in terms of power consumption compared with the Apple-designed A13 chips from last year. In terms of performance, TSMC says that a gain of around 15% is likely.

Looking forward, TSMC is already planning the switch to a new 3nm process, something that will see new speed increases and another huge fall in the amount of power that will be needed to keep new iPhones ticking over. That could in turn allow for longer battery life or, knowing Apple, smaller batteries.

Such chips aren't expected to reach mass production until the second half of 2022. That should mean it's a fairly safe bet those are the chips that will power the A16 chips in whatever the 2022 iPhones end up being called.

For now, all eyes are on iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro with their A14 chips. We're expecting them to be announced within the next few weeks although the usual September release window isn't going to happen this time around. Whenever they do arrive, I'm pretty sure they'll be blazing quick!