Apple industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has released a new report saying Apple is expected to make its new A16 processor exclusive to the “Pro” models in the upcoming iPhone 14 lineup. Kuo says this will be true going forward for each year’s new iPhone lineup.
Earlier this year, Kuo said that only the new iPhone 14 Pro models will feature an A16 chip, while the standard iPhone 14 and iPhone Max models will continue to be powered by an A15 chip.
This would be a definite break from tradition for Apple, as the Cupertino company has always used the same chip across all models in the same series.
Kuo’s comments jibe with previous comments by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who said that “beyond trying to make the Pro stand out,” ongoing chip shortages may have contributed to Apple’s decision to limit its upcoming chip to the iPhone 14 Pro models.
However, Kuo says that chip shortages have little to do with Apple’s decision, and instead wishes to make the Pro models stand out a bit more for the rest of the pack going forward.
Kuo’s comments came in his Medium blog. in which he claims that the latest A16 chip will be exclusive to iPhone 14 Pro models, “significantly boosting the shipment proportion of new iPhone high-end models in 2H22 to 55-60% (vs. 40–50% in the past).”
As for next year’s iPhone 15 series, Apple is expected to continue to offer four models – the 6.1-inch iPhone 15, the 6.1-inch iPhone 15 Pro, the 6.7-inch iPhone 15 Max, and the 6.7-inch iPhone 15 Pro Max. The pill-and-hole cutout for the front-facing cameras is expected to debut only in iPhone 14 Pro models this year, expanding to the entire iPhone 15 lineup next year.
(Via MacRumors)
