Rumors of Apple preparing a 4-inch model among its next generation of iPhones are going full swing, and the latest one is saying it will be powered by the 64-bit A8 chip of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.
A Japanese Apple blog site called Macotakara posted an entry on Tuesday, citing "credible sources" that Apple is set to release a 4-inch iPhone model, dubbed in the blog as "iPhone 5S Mark II." The post also claims this phone will have Apple's A8 chip as well as an 802.11ac Wi‑Fi, Bluetooth 4.1, and a FaceTime HD camera with a higher quality at ƒ/2.2 aperture.
The A8 chip, first introduced last year with the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, is Apple's second generation 64-bit mobile system on a chip. (SoC) In a report posted by iMore, the chip features a dual-core 64-bit 20nm CPU codenamed "Typhoon", manufactured by TMC, a quad-core PowerVR G6430 GPU, and 1GB of RAM. Apart from the previously mentioned iPhone models, the A8 chip is also powering the latest models of other Apple devices in the market such as the iPod Touch, iPad Mini, and Apple TV.
This information is the latest in a string of rumors going on for months about the purported 4-inch iPhone, which has been called by various outlets as "iPhone 7 mini" and "iPhone 7C." While it seems to confirm that the 4-inch iPhone would be reminiscent of the 5S model Apple released in 2013, this also contradicts previous rumors as quoted on AppleInsider that this model would be running on an A9 chip that is currently powering the latest iPhone models 6S and 6S Plus.
As for the release date, some analysts are looking at a mid-2016 release, though sources cited by Macotakara claim the unit is ready for production and can be shipped anytime.
The conflicting reports all agree however that the rumored 4-inch iPhone would be Apple's "budget phone" targeted to budget-conscious consumers and would not have all the features and capabilities of the more expensive iPhone models in the market.
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