Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 14 series this year in the fall. Given what the company has launched in the last few years, fans might be expecting that the company will launch an iPhone 14 Mini, a regular iPhone 14 and two iPhone 14 Pro models. However, a reliable Apple analyst suggests that Apple will not manufacture a ‘Mini’ smartphone in 2022. Further, it is also predicted that the company will differentiate between its Pro and non-Pro iPhone models with the help of a processor.
As per Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple is working on four new iPhones for 2022, which does not include an iPhone 14 Mini. Instead, the Cupertino-based tech giant is planning to introduce two regular and two Pro iPhones this year. The regular iPhones will be the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max with a 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch respectively and the Pro iPhones will be the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max with the same screen size.
According to Apple’s rules for naming iPhones, the four new 2H22 iPhones could be called iPhone 14 (6.1″), iPhone 14 Max (6.7″), iPhone 14 Pro (6.1”), and iPhone 14 Pro Max (6.7″).
— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) March 13, 2022
Apple iPhone 14 Pro series to feature a new chipset
Apart from the screen size and the names of the iPhones that may come out this year, the analyst has also predicted something else. Kuo says that the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max will come with Apple’s A15 Bionic chipset, the SoC that powers the current generation of iPhones. The other two Pro iPhones models – iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max will come with A16 Bionic, which will be the new chip Apple manufactures this year.
Another difference between the two smartphones will be the type of RAM. While the Pro models are said to come with LPDDR5 RAM, the non-Pro models are said to come with LPDDR4X RAM. Although, the amount of RAM remains to be the same on all four iPhones. For reference, this would be the first time in a decade that iPhones launched together would not carry the same chipset.
Only two Pro models would upgrade to the A16 processor, while the 14 & 14 Max will remain the A15. All four new models will likely come with 6GB RAM, with the difference being LPDDR 5 (14 Pro & 14 Pro Max) vs. LPDDR 4X (14 & 14 Max). https://t.co/tHcszIz6gX
— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) March 13, 2022
Since the cost of manufacturing A15 Bionic will decrease with time, it could enable Apple to launch a more affordable 6.7-inch iPhone. Moreover, the A15 Bionic is powerful enough to stay in the leaderboards for another couple of years. Secondly, it would provide better placement for the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. Up until now, an additional camera on the rear panel with a LIDAR sensor, a larger battery and a few more GPU cores have been the key differences between the Pro and non-Pro iPhones.