Earlier this year, an interesting report by renowned analyst Ming-Chi Kuo revealed that Apple may keep the new A16 chip exclusively for iPhone 14 Pro models, while regular iPhone 14 models will get last year’s A15 chip. In a new report, Kuo has now claimed that entry-level and mid-range iPhone models will not have Apple’s latest chipsets in the future as the company shifts its business strategy.
iPhone 14 with A15 chip
Apple is expected to announce four new iPhone models this year: iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Max (a larger 6.7-inch version that will replace iPhone mini), iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. While the regular iPhone 14 models will retain the same design as the iPhone 13 with minimal internal upgrades, the Pro lineup will get more attention with New screen design And the Big camera upgrades.
It wouldn’t be the first time Apple has kept major upgrades like a new design exclusive to more expensive iPhone models. In 2017, the iPhone X was introduced with an all-new design, Face ID, and other new technologies, while the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus were just better versions of the iPhone 7.
However, the iPhone 8 and iPhone X were both powered by the same A11 Bionic chip. Apple followed this strategy in subsequent years with the iPhone XR, iPhone XS, iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, etc. Now it looks like things will change.
After Kuo’s report, both of them 9to5Mac And the Bloomberg Independent sources confirmed that Only two of the four iPhone 14 models will get a new, faster chip. Although some analysts believe that Apple will use a more powerful version of the A15 chip with 6 GB of RAM instead of 4 GB in the new phones, the architecture will be the same as in the iPhone 13 chipset.
At first, we thought this might be a temporary move due to the lack of global chips, but now Kuo seems to be thinking otherwise.
New business strategy
in a report on his personal blogKuo noted that the huge differences between the mid-range iPhone 14 and the high-end iPhone 14 Pro should make the more expensive models more popular with consumers. While the iPhone 14 Pro was previously expected to account for 40% to 50% of sales of new models by the end of 2022, the estimate has now been raised to 60%.
But here’s something that hasn’t been said before: Kuo now claims that from now on, Apple’s latest chips will be exclusive to high-end iPhone models. In other words, the analyst believes that Apple will no longer release entry-level and mid-tier iPhone models with its latest and greatest chips.
Retaining the new processor for more expensive iPhone models will cause more people to buy these instead of cheaper ones, which will drive up the average iPhone price. This means that Apple’s profits from iPhone sales will be even higher. Of course, Kuo also notes that this will benefit camera suppliers for high-end iPhones as well.
The latest processor chip will be exclusive to high-end iPhone models in the future, so high-end iPhone models will be the norm, and high-end camera component suppliers are preferred.
If true, the days of having an entire iPhone lineup with the same new chip appear to be over. On the other hand, this wasn’t surprising because Apple was doing something similar with its iPad lineup. More expensive models are equipped with the same chips as Macs, while cheaper iPad models stay with iPhone chips.
iPhone 14 launch and availability
If all goes as planned, Apple will likely introduce the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro in September. Please note that availability may be limited at launch due to supply issues.
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