As the launch of the iPhone 12 nears, leaks surrounding Apple's next mobile device are becoming more and more common. Now, an image that may be the first look at the silicon that powers Apple's next flagship device is making headlines.

The image, by a leaker named Mr-white on Twitter, shows a group of A14-branded chips arranged top to bottom. Of course, it could easily have been Photoshopped. But it comes just days after chipmaker TSMC revealed that it is currently producing 5-nanometer chips for a device slated for the fall, which is very likely to be the iPhone 12. [Apple's A13 Bionic and Qualcomm's Snapdragon 865 (and its newer and slightly faster 865 Plus) are 7nm chips. By shrinking the chip by even one or two nanometers, the chip becomes faster and more power efficient, which is exactly what one would expect Apple to have done with the A14 Bionic.

Indeed, according to TSMC, the 5nm chip in question is "about 15% faster and consumes 30% less power than the current 7nm node in the Snapdragon 865 Plus and Apple A13. Especially in this day and age when cell phones require more energy than ever before, with 5G modems, high refresh rate OLED screens, and other features.

Another advantage Apple enjoys with its chips is ubiquity: the A14 will be in every handset Cupertino releases between now and the end of the year. This means that all iPhone 12 models will benefit from the same, class-leading performance, from the 5.4-inch entry-level model, which is expected to launch in the neighborhood of $700, to the top-of-the-line 6.8-inch iPhone 12 Pro Max, which will be well over four figures.

In March, the A14's Geekbench listing was allegedly leaked online. While it is easy to falsify such benchmarks, the list lists the A14's multi-core score at 4,612 points, which, as AppleInsider points out, is even better than the A12X processor in the 12.9-inch iPad Pro's 4,568 point result This is even better than the 4,568 points of the A12X processor in the 12.9-inch iPad Pro.

In other words, as usual, Apple's next A-series chip is going to be a beast. It may also feature a 120Hz refresh rate display, a LiDAR sensor to improve augmented reality applications, and mmWave 5G connectivity.

Benchmarks for the newly developed Snapdragon 865 Plus in upcoming performance-oriented Android phones like Asus' ROG Phone 3 remain a mystery, but if indeed the leaked A14 numbers are true, it It will. Incidentally, the OnePlus 8 Pro, which uses the standard Snapdragon 865, scored 3,517 points on Geekbench 5.

We look forward to putting the A14 Bionic, and everything the iPhone 12 series has to offer, through its paces in the coming months once we get the phone.