The Next iPhone's A12 Chip Is Ready to Beat Android (Again)

The iPhone's A11 Bionic processor wipes the floor with every Android phone when it comes to performance, and now Apple is readying a successor that's even faster and more efficient.

Credit: Tom's Guide

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

The company's manufacturing partner Taiwan Semiconductor has started to mass-produce the A12 processor we'll find in this year's iPhones, Bloomberg is reporting, citing people who claim to have knowledge of those production efforts. According to the report, the the new chip will feature a 7-nanometer design instead of the 10-nanometer process Apple used in last year's A11 chips.

The smaller chips should allow for more design flexibility, but will also likely be faster and more efficient, allowing for better performance and longer battery life.

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Of course, it's no surprise that Apple is already working on getting processors for its upcoming iPhones. The company is reportedly planning to release three new iPhones this year that will likely be unveiled in September.

It appears Apple is planning three new handsets. The first will be the successor to last year's iPhone X and come with a 5.8-inch OLED screen, according to reports. The second will be a larger version of the iPhone X with a 6.5-inch display. A third model, which could have a 6.1-inch LCD screen, could be the budget model in the group.

It's unclear from the Bloomberg report which of those models will come with the A12 chip, but if history is any guide, all three models would sport the new processor. Still, several reports have said that the LCD iPhone will be cheaper than the others, which suggests Apple might opt for a lower-end CPU for that model.

Don Reisinger is CEO and founder of D2 Tech Agency. A communications strategist, consultant, and copywriter, Don has also written for many leading technology and business publications including CNET, Fortune Magazine, The New York Times, Forbes, Computerworld, Digital Trends, TechCrunch and Slashgear. He has also written for Tom's Guide for many years, contributing hundreds of articles on everything from phones to games to streaming and smart home.

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