With every new iPhone release each year, you can expect it to be the most powerful iPhone yet. However, things are expected to be different this year as Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo had tweeted that Apple is reusing the current A15 chip for next year’s iPhone 14. The newer Apple A16 chip is purportedly reserved only for the iPhone 14 Pro models.
The folks at 9to5Mac seem to have confirmed this report as they have heard similar information from various sources that two new models will use the A16 chip while the remaining two will still stick to the current A15 chip.
This is a breakaway from tradition as Apple usually offers their latest processor for the entire lineup whether it is their entry-level iPhone SE, their mainstream iPhone, or their top-of-the-line iPhone Pro series. But it is interesting to point out that not all A15 Bionic chips are the same as the iPhone 13 gets a 4-core GPU while the iPhone 13 Pro models get a 5-core GPU version. The 5-core GPU version of the A15 chip is also powering the 6th gen iPad mini.
Interestingly, the upcoming iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro series are said to come with 6GB RAM as standard. For the iPhone 14, this marks a 50% increase from the iPhone 13’s 4GB RAM, which should offer some performance gains during multi-tasking. Kuo added that the Pro models get a higher-performance LPDDR5 while the standard iPhone settles for LPDDR4X.
As speculated for quite some time now, Apple appears to be killing off the 5.4″ iPhone “mini” model this year and it will be replaced with the iPhone 14 Max. As the name suggests, the iPhone 14 Max is expected to offer a larger 6.7″ display in a non-Pro body. The iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 13 mini are some of the most powerful compact smartphones in the market but reports have indicated that sales were disappointing. It seems clear that consumers prefer a larger iPhone and a bigger battery that can last longer.
For 2022, you can expect to see a 6.1″ iPhone 14, a 6.7″ iPhone 14 Max, a 6.1″ iPhone 14 Pro, and a 6.7″ iPhone Pro Max. So essentially, picking up a shiny new iPhone later this year would be as simple as selecting between a 6.1″ or 6.7″ screen, and whether you want to go for the standard iPhone or a Pro model that offers a more versatile camera system.
Although this news might not go down well for annual iPhone upgraders, there’s a possibility that Apple is adopting this hardware approach to optimise the price for the new iPhone 14 lineup. Ideally, the new iPhone 14 could be priced at the same level as the current iPhone 13 mini, while the iPhone 14 Max, despite having a larger screen, won’t cost too far off from the current 6.1″ iPhone 13. Apple’s 5nm A15 chip is still plenty powerful and it should be sufficient enough to provide a smooth experience in the years to come.
What do you think of the move to use the A15 Bionic chip for two years in a row? Let us know in the comments below.
[ SOURCE ]
Related reading
- The iPhone SE 2022 is upgraded with the same amount of RAM as the iPhone 13
- The new iPhone SE is an upgraded iPhone 8 with 5G. Here are 7 things you need to know
- The iPhone 13 and 13 Pro now come in green, pre-order available in Malaysia on 18 March
- The new iPad Air now powered by Apple’s M1 chip, price starts at RM2,699 in Malaysia
