Apple

Apple prepping a 4" metal iPhone 7c with A9 chipset, tips analyst, to be released in 2016

posted by Daniel P. / Nov 04, 2015, 3:08 AM

The omnipresent analyst from KGI Securities - Ming-Chi Kuo - has a great track record when it comes to predicting Apple's moves, based on his sources in the broad Asian supply chain of the world's most profitable phone maker.

So far, he has accurately predicted that the rumored new 4" iPhone, dubbed tentatively the 6c so far, won't be unveiled together with the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, but rather will make an appearance next year. If you have been following mobile-related news for the past year or so, there has been rampant speculation from many sources that Apple is probing a resurrection of the 4" screen diagonal, just not in the form of the "unapologetically plastic" iPhone 5c.

A 4" iPhone 7c would capitalize on latent demand for smaller iPhones

In a note to investors who subscribe to his research, Ming-Chi Kuo has now fleshed out that rumor quite a bit more, saying that a 4" iPhone will be put in mass production in the first half of 2016, likely to be unveiled in the usual fall timeframe, together with the eventual iPhone 7. The iPhone 7c, or whatever it gets named, will apparently be housed in a metal unibody, and sport Apple's current A9 chipset, which at the time of unveiling will be a generation behind the future A10. It's not the first time we are hearing that Apple's upcoming small iPhone will be crafted out of metal, too.

This suggests, writes the analyst, that Apple will be positioning the 4" iPhone as a budget alternative, for those who are longing for Apple's small form factor, and there is indeed a lot of potential market there. The budget iPhone theory is corroborated by another tidbit that Ming-Chi Kuo suggests - the future 4" allegedly won't have Apple's new 3D Touch screen technology, to further differentiate it from the iPhone 7 that will eventually be launched at the time. The analyst says that Foxconn will be tasked with the manufacturing of the future iPhone 7c, with the potential to churn out between 20-30 million such 4" handsets in total. Anybody longing for the small 4" form factor?

source: AppleInsider

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47 Comments

1. phonearenarocks

Posts: 606; Member since: Mar 26, 2015

It will be named iPhone 7 Minus. LOOOLLLL!!!

posted on Nov 04, 2015, 3:11 AM 8

20. zeeBomb

Posts: 2318; Member since: Aug 14, 2014

Apple , u cray cray.

posted on Nov 04, 2015, 9:13 AM 0

21. zeeBomb

I bet despite the hella powerful A9, it'll have like no taptic engine, MAYBE the iPhone 6 8MP camera, 8/ 16 non expandable storage with a hefty price tag of $499 off contract.

posted on Nov 04, 2015, 9:16 AM 2

45. SuperEd

Posts: 132; Member since: Oct 18, 2011

Meanwhile, those other crazy companies are building BIGGER! Silly. Less is MORE again. So next thing will be a nano-iPhone. 2" MAX.

posted on Nov 04, 2015, 10:51 PM 2

2. manojmcn

Posts: 633; Member since: Jul 16, 2015

'Anal'ysts said there was an iPhone 6c with 4" dislay to be launched last September too.

posted on Nov 04, 2015, 3:12 AM 2

36. TSMan2

Posts: 363; Member since: Aug 20, 2015

Besides 4" display iPhone , doesn't mean automatically a very small phone.(that bezels and huge home button) Samsung , could easily manage 4.3"display phone in the footprint of 4" display iPhone.

posted on Nov 04, 2015, 2:42 PM 0

37. TSMan2

When GS6Edge Mini comes, with 4.5" display it will be not much bigger that this 4" iPhone.

posted on Nov 04, 2015, 2:48 PM 0

3. Kumar123 unregistered

This will totally mess up Sony's compact series phone. RIP Sony's compact series and other cheap android phones. I think Samsung will again copy apple's move and release a other mini series phone.

posted on Nov 04, 2015, 3:15 AM 1

5. shahulvm

Posts: 124; Member since: Apr 01, 2012

Thats what Samsung is Famous for :)

posted on Nov 04, 2015, 3:26 AM 3

23. j2001m

Posts: 3061; Member since: Apr 28, 2014

They was also famous for bigger screen phones and Apple for very smal, ones, now who got the bigger phone now, hahhahahahahahhahahahahhahahahahahhahahahaha

posted on Nov 04, 2015, 10:11 AM 2

8. carlemillward unregistered

Just curious, why do you think that this will mess up their compact series?

posted on Nov 04, 2015, 3:36 AM 4

13. Finalflash

Posts: 4063; Member since: Jul 23, 2013

They like to believe the iPhone changes things but in the end will likely change nothing. The 6/6s series changed nothing and neither will future iPhones. The only thing that changes is Apple gets richer, iFans get poorer.

posted on Nov 04, 2015, 5:22 AM 4

9. NoToFanboys

Posts: 3231; Member since: Oct 03, 2015

BEST PREDICTION EVER (sarcasm)

posted on Nov 04, 2015, 3:51 AM 7

27. iushnt

Posts: 3096; Member since: Feb 06, 2013

Seems like u j**K off thinking of Apple.

posted on Nov 04, 2015, 11:58 AM 2

31. marorun

Posts: 5029; Member since: Mar 30, 2015

Kumar plz stop taking drugs its bad for your brain and its start to show. the Z5 is superior in about every way to the iphone 6S and you think a lower end iphone will compete?