Another rumor points towards an iPhone "mini" launching this year

So, this past year, even Apple joined the "screen size" race, by pumping the display of its flagship iPhone 6 to 4.7" and adding a phablet iPhone 6 Plus in its portfolio. The change had an extremely positive reception, as 4 months after the launch, Apple is still selling its new handsets like hot cakes, and even dominated the statistic for device activations this Christmas.

There is, however, a group of people, be it a minority if you wish, that actually liked the 4" constraints that Apple had put on itself with the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5s – easily pocketable, perfectly usable with one hand, still good for checking emails, social media, and chatting. With the release of the new iPhones, one was left to wonder – is Apple completely done with the small-sized smartphones?

Well, rumors claim that Cupertinians are, in fact, planning to launch a "mini" version of their flagship this year (iPhone 6 mini, or 6s mini? We don't know) – the first time we heard of such plans was around 10 days ago, when analyst Timothy Arcuri of Cowen and Company apparently sent a note to investors, claiming that Apple is working on a possible "mini" iPhone.

Well, now, an alleged report from another US investment company, called Zacks Equity Research, reportedly also makes a mention of a "mini" iPhone being in the works for 2015. Not only that, but the price is expected to "be a lot cheaper".

Now, that's interesting. Currently, the cheapest iPhone on Apple's portfolio is the 5c – and it's still rather pricey, at $450 for a SIM-free version. We wouldn't really expect Apple to release a brand new model, be it a "mini", and slap a price tag on it lower than that. The rumors suggest that Cupertinians are thinking about equipping it with lower tier hardware, in order to justify a large price drop, but we'd say the iPhone 6's sales have proven that the company does not need to produce a low-end smartphone in order to have market dominance, so we're at the edge of calling shenanigans on that rumor. Not to mention that customers that want a smaller screen will not necessarily agree to a less powerful handset.

What we find believable about the rumors, however, is that Apple may really be thinking about having a line of 4”-screened iPhones, instead of completely abandoning the handy-sized devices. Whether the Cupertinians will go through with it, and whether it's going to happen this year, remains to be seen.


source: MyDrivers.com (translated) via BGR