 |
| Apple wants to use the A16 chip to differentiate iPhone 14 Pro models |
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo tweeted that he believes Apple could break the tradition this year and release some iPhone 14 models with the same A15 chip in the iPhone 13 series.
The A15 chip powers the 6.1-inch iPhone 14 and 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Max, although the RAM has been upgraded from 4GB to 6GB.
The new A16 chip is for the flagship and more expensive iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max models.
The iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max have 6GB of LPDDR5 RAM. The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max hold four times the LPDDR RAM of the iPhone 13.
If true, this is the first time in nearly a decade that Apple has halved the specifications of the flagship iPhone based on the type of chipset used.
In the past, Apple offered its more expensive models processors with a larger number of cores or memory. But it hasn't used an entirely different processor to draw the line between its regular and flagship devices since 2013.
In 2013, Apple launched the iPhone 5S with an A7 processor. It also launched the cheaper iPhone 5C with an older A6 processor.
While this information is still popular, Kuo has a track record of making the iPhone maker plans.
Apple may break with tradition this year
Independent sources said that the company is working on two new iPhone 14 models with the A16 chipset as well as two iPhone 14 models with the A15 chipset built in, which matches Kuo's tweet.
The company has historically used segment differentiation strategies. For example, the A15 chip in the iPhone 13 Pro has more RAM and more GPU cores than the A15 chip in the iPhone 13.
Kuo also expects the iPhone 14 Max to feature a 6.7-inch screen, which could mark the first time a professional screen has appeared in a cheaper, non-professional phone.
Koe made a similar prediction in June. He said at the time that the company was working on a bigger screen iPhone for less than $900.
It should be noted that the screen diagonal of 5.4 inches is not on the Ku list. This is a possible sign of a company capitulating on a small scale.
Apple has yet to officially announce the iPhone 14 range, but it is expected to debut at its next iPhone event, which usually takes place in the fall.