iPhone 14 may be stuck with an inferior display after all
Apple usually outfits all phones in its lineup with the same chip but that may change this year. Esteemed analyst Ming-Chi Kuo dropped a bomb last week when he said that only the higher-end iPhone 14 Pro models would get a new chipset and the other two variants would use the A15 Bionic chip that powers the iPhone 13 series and the recently revealed budget handset, the iPhone SE 3. Another differentiating factor would be the display, says a new leak.
@Shadow_Leak, who is yet to prove his mettle as a tipster, but has got some leaks right in the past, has posted the key specs for the iPhone 14 lineup. He backs up prevailing rumors about the screen sizes, base RAM, and chipsets.
To sum it up, this year's iPhone 14 family will have the 6.1-inches iPhone 14 and 6.7-inches iPhone 14 Max which will both be underpinned by the A15 Bionic, and the 6.1-inches iPhone 14 Pro and 6.7-inches iPhone 14 Pro Max that will be powered by the rumored A16 Bionic chip which will allegedly be based on the slightly more advanced 4nm manufacturing process which would make it faster and more power-efficient.
Echoing what some reliable insiders have said, Shadow_Leak claims only the Pro models will have the LTPO panel that makes a variable refresh rate possible. That implies the regular variants will retain a 60Hz screen, and only the Pros will flaunt 120Hz screens which will enable smooth scrolling and fluid display transitions.
Base RAM will be boosted from 4GB to 6GB apparently, but according to an earlier report, only the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max will get the newer LPDDR5 tech.
In related news, Kuo has revealed more details regarding Apple's supposed decision to only equip the Pro models with the A16 Bionic. It was being assumed that the decision may have something to do with the supply shortage, but Kuo thinks it's more of a "marketing/finance-oriented decision."
He hasn't said whether this cost-saving would be passed on to consumers, so one can only hope for the best. A lower starting price could help make the iPhone 14 and 14 Max one of the best budget flagships of the year.
The iPhone 14 Pro will be thicker than the iPhone 13 Pro
Per earlier reports, the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max will replace the notch with pill and hole cutouts, and leaked CAD-based renders have suggested that's about the only notable visual change we should expect if you count out the alleged slightly taller design and somewhat thicker camera bumps.
This punctured the rumor that these would be completely redesigned models with a flat camera island and circular volume buttons.
According to new renders allegedly based on CAD files from Android Police's Max Weinbach posted by @aaple_lab, the camera bump on the Pro will be around 20 percent bigger than the one on the current models. This is apparently because of the new 48MP main sensor, which might be bigger than the 12MP module it's replacing.
For the geeks amongst us, the 14 Pro will apparently be 12.2mm thick, around a millimeter more than the 11.3mm iPhone 13 Pro.
That's all we have on the iPhone 14 series at the moment, be sure to check back for more.
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