There remains much that we don't know about this autumn's iPhone 12. But we can be fairly certain that it will feature the A14, a new proprietary processor based on 5nm (nanometre) technology.

According to data from the manufacturer TSMC (via AnandTech), the use of 5nm tech - as compared to the 7nm process used to manufacture the A13 in the iPhone 11 - means the A14 will be able to offer up to 15% higher performance, or 30% lower energy consumption. Or a mixture of the two, if Apple chooses to compromise between performance and battery life.

Whether Apple does compromise, or whether it will choose to focus on performance or battery life, remains to be seen, but looking at history, the former has tended to be a higher priority.

We may have already seen our first glimpse of the A14, photos of which were leaked last month. Jason Cross, of Macworld US, has predicted that the chip could make the iPhone 12 comparable in theoretical power to a 15in MacBook Pro.

As early as next year, TSMC is expected to start manufacturing processors based on 3nm technology. Then there will be a similar boosts once again: the company predicts a reduction in power consumption of 25-30%, or performance improvements of 10-15%, compared to the 5nm A14.

The new models of iPhone will go on sale in October. Catch up on the latest leaks and rumours in our iPhone 12 news hub - and if you can't wait that long, browse the latest bargains in our roundup of the best iPhone deals.