iPhone 14 to be NO faster than iPhone 13! Big cost cutting from Apple?

iPhone 14 series is said to use the same 5nm based chip, with the A16 Bionic reserved for the Pro variants only. Here are all details.

iPhone 14 series could use the same chip as iPhone 13, say new rumours.  (Front Page Tech)

iPhone 14 may end ups with almost no notable performance upgrades over the current-gen iPhone 13! Based on the latest rumours emerging from top Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, it is said that Apple is not bringing any major chip upgrade with the iPhone 14 series. Previous rumours have long claimed the A15 Bionic chip from iPhone 13 to do duty on the iPhone 14, while a new A16 Bionic chip will grace the iPhone 14 Pro models. Now, there's more clarity on this episode, and it could be true considering Kuo's stellar track record of Apple leaks.

The A15 Bionic chip on the iPhone 13 is based on the 5nm manufacturing process, which is already among the more efficient chip technologies, but technically inferior to the 4nm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip found on the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra. For this year, Apple isn't upgrading the manufacturing process, and will still to 5nm chip for the iPhone 14. This won't bring major upgrades to performance, although those wanting to upgrade to the iPhone 14 Pro might have some good news (still).

iPhone 14 chip not an upgrade?

When it comes to the regular iPhone 14, it is said that the A15 chip could be used for the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max, with no performance gains whatsoever. Apple will, however, have a A16 Bionic chip based on the same 5nm process with minor performance and efficiency upgrades. The chip won't be largely different from the A15 Bionic but Apple is going to give it a new name for marketing purposes, says Kuo.

Is this happening due to a cost-cutting measure? According to Kuo, that doesn't seem so. Kuo says that the substantially more powerful and efficient 3nm process won't be ready before 2023. Apple had the option to choose between a 5nm and 4nm platform for the iPhone 14 generation but in reality, there are no major performance gains with the 4nm process.

Does that mean the iPhone 14 is going to be slow? If you own an iPhone 13, you are might have the answer already. The A15 Bionic 5nm chip is currently among the most powerful and power efficient chipsets on a smartphone. In the real world scenarios, the 4nm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 powered phones have been no match for Apple's processor, especially with regards to efficiency and battery life. The iPhone 13 series is still the battery champ, with the iPhone 13 Pro Max hitting it out of the park with a stellar battery life.