From massive camera upgrades to the introduction of a brand new size, there are tons of exciting rumours flying around about the upcoming iPhone 12. But just as important as the phone's design is the horsepower hidden inside – and new leaks suggest creatives could soon have a tiny powerhouse on their hands.
The iPhone 11 is already one of our best camera phones, but it seems the iPhone 12's A14 chip could blow iPhone 11's the 11's A13 out of the water in two key areas: speed and, slightly unexpectedly, battery life.
A dummy of the upcoming iPhone 12 (Image credit: iupdate)
According to PhoneArena, the A14 chip will use a 5-nanometer (5nm) process, which is not only hugely powerful, but also much more efficient than the iPhone 11's A13 chip (which is 7nm). This means the A14 chip could offer up to 15% more speed, while using up to 30% less power. This all adds up to a monster processor inside a minuscule device (the rumoured 5.4-inch iPhone 12 is set to be the smallest iPhone in years).
The iPhone 12 (centre) could be the smallest iPhone in years (Image credit: MacRumors)
So what will this actually mean for creatives? In general, we can probably expect lightning-fast software, while the extra juice could lend itself to even more powerful photo processing (making the best photo apps even better). Considering that the iPhone 12 is expected to feature a slightly smaller battery than the iPhone 11, the super-efficient chip is particularly welcome news – hopes of improved battery life may not yet be dashed.
Another rumoured feature that this whopper of a chip could support is the LiDAR scanner – which is expected to be trickling down from the iPad Pro to the iPhone 12 Pro. This could hugely improve the phone's AR capabilities (by which we mean make Google's new AR dinosaurs even more terrifying).
While it's hardly shocking to hear that the iPhone 12 will beat its predecessor in terms of raw power, the combination of super speed and better battery afforded by the new chip could make it the ultimate device for creatives on the go – especially considering the new, pocketable size. That said, the iPhone 11 needn't have a chip on its shoulder (sorry) – it's still a hugely powerful phone. Check out today's best deals below.
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Daniel John is Design Editor at Creative Bloq. He reports on the worlds of design, branding and lifestyle tech, and has covered several industry events including Milan Design Week, OFFF Barcelona and Adobe Max in Los Angeles.
