The rumour mill is once again flooded with rumours around Apple’s upcoming iPhones – iPhone 7, 7 Plus and the 4-inch iPhone 6C that has attracted the spotlight during the last few weeks.
More specific, Kevin Wang, IHS Technology research director, who previously supported that the rumoured 4-inch iPhone would launch by the end of 2015, now alters his prediction to the middle of the next year.
The update of his original prediction was made on a Chinese microblogging service, the Sina Weibo amplifying information, shared by reliable KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
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Wang did not actually reveal any new information on the rumoured 4-inch iPhone, other than the screen size. However, Mr. Kuo recently mentioned that the device will “resemble an upgraded iPhone 5s,” including a metal design with an A9 processor, and launch in the first quarter of 2016.
More specifically he said:
“There is still demand for a 4-inch iPhone, we believe Apple will upgrade this product line. Because the iPhone 5s is more popular than the iPhone 5c, we think Apple is likely to launch an upgraded iPhone 5s. We predict Apple will mass-produce this new 4-inch iPhone in 1H16 with metal casings. In order to make the current iOS 9 or next-generation iOS 10 run smoothly, Apple may adopt an A9 chip for this new phone.”
In addition, Ming-Chi supports that the so-called iPhone 6C will lose the 3D Touch that the iPhone 6S comes with, in order to differentiate it as a lower end handset.
Foxconn is said to be the predominant manufacturer of Apple’s 4-inch device, with 20 to 30 million shipments expected until the end of 2016.
Judging by Wang’s recent track record and his latest turn around on the 4-inch iPhone, we ought to accept his prediction but maintain a certain degree of scepticism.
What do you think about the said rumours? Could they be true? Share your opinion in the comments below.
