Despite the Samsung Galaxy S21 announcement just hours away, iPhone 13 rumors are heating up. And the latest buzz about Apple's 2021 phone suggests that Apple may have found a way to maintain its performance advantage over its Android rival.

You don't have to be much of a detective to conclude that this year's iPhones are likely to feature Apple's A15 chip, following the a14 Bionic in the iPhone 12 lineup. However, two reports this week claim that the upcoming chip will use a new process method that may improve performance.

According to GizChina and MacOtakara, Apple is indeed already working on the iPhone 13, which will feature four different models. And the A15 chip in these models will reportedly use TSMC's second-generation 5nm+ process.

The A14 Bionic was the first 5nm chip to be used in an Apple phone, and has improved both performance and efficiency over the previous generation. Now, MacOtakara reports that the A15 chip will feature better power consumption thanks to a new process used by TSMC, which manufactures chips for Apple-designed smartphones.

The same source indicates that the final A16 chip, due to appear in 2022, will likely be based on TSMC's 4nm manufacturing process, in the name of improved density and efficiency.

Outside of the A15 5nm+ processor, MacOtakara notes that there will not be much difference between the iPhone 13 line and the already available iPhone 12 beyond overall thickness. iPhone 13's rear camera will be about 0.9mm larger.

As is always the case with rumors that anticipate the release of a new product this far in advance, it is best to take any reports with a grain of salt. We don't expect the iPhone 13 to arrive before fall, so there is plenty of time between now and then for details about the Apple phone to emerge.