The iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max may be the only models in the upcoming series to use the new A16 chip, according to renowned analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. This means that the other two models, dubbed the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max, will be powered by the A15 Bionic chipset from last year.
According to a Twitter account that most likely belongs to Kuo, only the two Pro models in the iPhone 14 lineup will “upgrade to the A16 processor.” The A15 Bionic, which powers the iPhone 13 series, will be left in the standard iPhone models, one of which will be a new iPhone 14 Max.
The A15 processor Kuo mentioned could be the same as the one used in the iPhone 13 series. It could also be a bumped-up version with minor performance improvements over the original A15, but not as significant as what the A16 is expected to bring.
According to 9to5 Mac, Apple has previously equipped Pro models with a processor with more cores or memory, but it has not used two completely different processors in the same lineup to differentiate iPhones into standard and premium since the release of the iPhone 5S and 5C in 2013.
If true, this would be a significant shift for Apple’s flagship iPhones, which have previously differed in size and some camera features but have all used the same processor to provide customers with the same level of performance regardless of model.
Kuo also stated that all four new iPhone models will “likely” have 6GB of RAM. However, there will be some distinctions here as well. While the higher-end Pro models will have upgraded LPDDR5 memory, the less expensive iPhone models will have LPDDR4X memory, which is available on the iPhone 13 series.
The analyst also stated that the iPhone 14 Max will have a 6.7-inch display, making it the first non-Pro model to have a Pro-sized display. The “mini” 5.4-inch iPhone, according to Kuo, will be phased out permanently.
