Each year, September comes, and each year, the iPhone gets faster. But a report and analysis by 9to5Mac points to a significantly speedier and more power-efficient chip for this year's new iPhones.
The piece cites an "unsubstantiated tipster" making specific claims about the next iPhone's processor, so this should all be taken with a grain of salt. But if true, the next iPhone could be gaining some real ground on the speeds normally associated with desktops and laptops.
A view of what could be the next iPhone's motherboard.
The A9 chip, likely to debut inside the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus, is said to have a Geekbench score of 1,921 for single-core and 4,873 for multi-core. Last year's A8 chip, which lived inside the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, achieved a 1,610 for single-core and 2,890 for multi-core scores.
What's the cause for the big jump in multi-core? According to the source, the A9 could use two cores clocked at 1.7GHz and two more cores clocked at 1.2GHz, with the phone switching between cores depending on how much speed it needs in that moment.
That means the next iPhones could be as powerful as 2010 MacBook Pros or 2011 MacBook Airs. That also potentially puts in the new phones in the same league as Apple's new ultra-slim MacBook.
The new chip could power processor-intensive features, like the rumored 4K video capture (also being rumored for the next phones) or higher-end video games.
Apple is expected to announce the two new phones at an event early in September, alongside a new, revamped AppleTV. That same event could be where the company debuts its long-rumored iPad Pro, said to carry a bigger, 12.9-inch screen.