Details just leaked for a brand new iPhone and they are not what was expected. In fact Apple is about to launch its fastest ever iPhone with its best battery life yet.
This news has come from Chinese site My Drivers which has attained details about the specifications and launch information for a 4-inch iPhone which could put its larger rivals to shame. MyDrivers has a good track record having broken the news in October than the iPhone 6S uses different chipsets in different models – something Apple eventually confirmed.
So what are these mouth watering specs: an Apple A9 chipset, 2GB of RAM, a 1,642mAh battery and a 4-inch 1136 x 640 pixel display. Yes, these are very similar specifications to the iPhone 6S (A9, 2GB RAM, 1715 mAh battery) alongside the same screen size and resolution as the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C. So why makes them so exciting? How they are combined.
Displays are the dominant factor in both power drain and performance. The display sucks more battery life than anything else and the number of pixels in the display drags down performance (which is why the 4.7-inch iPhone 6/6S is notably faster than the 6 Plus/6S Plus).
Now less do the maths. This newly leaked model has a battery which is just 4.25% smaller than the one in the iPhone 6S, but it is driving almost 30% fewer pixels. Similarly it has a 40% smaller battery than the iPhone 6S Plus, but is driving 64% fewer pixels. As all other factors between them are equal, this means the 4-inch model should have superior battery life to both Apple’s current flagships.
Furthermore given the 4-inch model has the same chipset and RAM but is driving 30% and 64% fewer pixels than the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus respectively, it should also be significantly faster. So what is this thing?
The obvious point to make is that it is Apple’s anticipated iPhone 6C, it will just bring a lot more to the party than had been expected. Then again MyDrivers states the phone will use the same ‘2.5D’ slightly curved glass as the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus which will make its fascia identical to them, rather than the completely flat iPhone 5C. Furthermore MyDrivers lists its retail price as starting from 4,000 yuan ($615) for a 16GB model, while the iPhone 5C starts at just 8GB and costs 3,288 yuan (roughly $500).
Consequently the performance, battery life and design of this phone all suggest it is more ‘iPhone 6S Mini’ than iPhone 6C and even if it does end up being called the iPhone 6C it would arguably still be the most appealing price/performance handset in Apple’s range. This may even mean its introduction would be something of a gamble.
iPhone 7 concept of in-display fingerprint recognition. Image credit: Computer Bild TV
iPhone 7 concept of in-display fingerprint recognition. Image credit: Computer Bild TV
Of course the counterpoint to all this is Apple will launch the redesigned iPhone 7 in September and that will likely jump to the A10 chip and 3GB of RAM. Still that wouldn’t necessarily mean it would be particular faster or longer lasting, especially if Apple increases the native resolutions of both the 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch models as has been speculated.
Some questions do still remain. Exact camera details are unknown, as is the inclusion of 3D Touch and the release date, though MyDrivers says mass production will start in January or February.
Either way – and regardless of the final branding – my hopes of Apple finally bringing a flagship worthy 4-inch iPhone to its range have skyrocketed and going with a ‘small, medium and large’ line up would make tremendous sense. Ditching the C range altogether would even give Apple the chance of increasing the iPhone’s entry level price.
While we won’t know all this will happen until Tim Cook is holding this new iPhone aloft at an official press event, I can say one thing: I really, really hope it happens…
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