When it comes to determining how powerful or efficient a chipset is, there are other things to look at besides just clock speed. The process that the chip is being built on matters, which is why while the layperson might not care how many “nm” a chipset is being built-on, the end result could be a faster and more efficient chipset.
Apple’s A12 chipset is currently built on the 7nm process by TSMC, and come 2020 Apple is expected to make even greater gains. In a report from DigiTimes (via 9to5Mac), they claim that in 2020 with the (presumably) A14 chipset, it could be built on a 5nm process. The report also claims that Apple will once again be turning to TSMC to help produce their chipsets.
For those wondering why this matters, like we said, the smaller the process, the greater potential it has for a chipset to be faster and more efficient. This is because the smaller process reduces the gaps between transistors, meaning that getting from one point to the other is a lot shorter which in theory should result in performance gains.
So far Apple’s A12 chipsets have proven themselves to be extremely capable. For example, when benchmarked last year, the A12 chipsets were found to have scores comparable to that of a desktop chipset. While it might not necessarily be the most accurate comparison, it’s hard to deny how powerful the A-series chipsets have gotten over the years.