Ondrej Holzman In recent weeks, there has been speculation about nothing but the return of the four-inch iPhone in connection with the upcoming products from Apple. After all, this has been talked about since the Californian company left this format for the first time a year ago. Fans of smaller phones could wait until the beginning of next year.
Many reports from Asia, the production chain and other reports have now been followed up by the renowned analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, whose estimates cannot be taken lightly. His predictions are certainly not 100% accurate, but thanks to his reports, we can at least get an idea of what Apple is up to, or at least working on.
According to the analyst KGI Securities in Cupertino are working on a four-inch iPhone that should be released in the first half of 2016. Kuo expects it to be a cross between the iPhone 5S, the last four-inch iPhone to date, and the latest iPhone 6S.
The new iPhone should take the latest A9 processor, but the camera lens would remain the same as the iPhone 5S. Kuo further expects that the key for Apple will be the incorporation of an NFC chip so that the smaller iPhone can also be used for payments via Apple Pay. However, it should be distinguished from the latest models by the absence of a 3D Touch display.
Also in terms of design, the four-inch iPhone would take something from the 5S and something from the 6S. It should be connected to the first named by a metal body, probably in two or three color variants, and from the 6S it would adopt a slightly curved front glass. An experiment with cheaper plastic, as in the case of the iPhone 5C, should therefore not take place.
Although Apple is enjoying great success with the current 4,7-inch and 5,5-inch iPhones, Kuo believes the demand for a smaller high-end phone is still there. It is Apple that is one of the few that offers really good phones in this category at higher prices.
According to the cited analyst, although the updated four-inch iPhone could only account for less than ten percent of all iPhone sales in 2016, Apple could thanks to this penetrate other markets where it has not yet been able to establish itself so much.
However, the question is whether in the markets where low-cost Android phones now rule, Apple can cause a fundamental change with its smaller iPhone, which would still be quite expensive. Kuo predicts a price between $400 and $500, while the iPhone 5S, which would be the logical successor to the iPhone in question, currently sells for $450 in the United States.
It would be super. 4 inches is just enough to wear. Ideal combination for iPad Air 2. Ideal for the gym, cycling and jogging. In an emergency, it can also be used for the Internet, etc. For last things, an iPad. I don't know the price. It will be cheaper by 2-3 thousand than 6s and that's really not a problem. We'll see.
They go to the gym to exercise.
It doesn't mean that you can't have a series of exercises written in your notes on your phone. I already had a few training sessions
And where will I write again? Probably on paper. And what will I monitor my heart rate in the cardio zone? Probably a finger on the neck. But thanks for the advice.
Oh, so all the fighters in the gym with phones in hand are writing down the weights. What is it good for please?
After a month or two, I can see progress beautifully. I enjoy messing around with it. Count lifted tons and stuff. I don't care that "fighters" don't do it. I do it. They fighters probably don't even measure their pulse in the cardio zone. But like I say, I don't care. A lot of fighters in the gym have a cell phone, but they use it as a music player. Even for that, 4 inches is better than 4,7 or even 5,5.
Everyone works differently. Someone's phone helps, someone else has everything in their head or has a personal trainer. I don't see a problem with either option, we are all different and everyone is comfortable with something different.
Guys, I've been lifting for 15 years, I've been doing powerlifting for most of those years, but, wonder, I have a phone in the gym - a 4″ iPhone, I don't think I'm hanging around there. In addition to recording progress, there is also something like motivational music. It helps a lot when you don't have sparring at the moment, mom.
"the demand for a smaller high-end phone is still there" .. "it will be a kind of cross between the 5S and 6S"-> doesn't sound high-end to me, but ok.
Every product has its buyer and there are really a lot of people who would like to buy a smaller iPhone even without 3DT, for example. Not everyone needs High-End. And as part of unifying the product design, it will probably be a nice sight :)
Anything larger than 4″ is unusable to me. That's why I'm still sticking with the old iPhone 4S, even though it's no longer enough for me. Even the slightly larger iPhone 5(S) is already too big for me. An improved iPhone with a four-inch display could be a worthy successor to my current one. I believe the demand would be great.
I don't want to spoil your illusions, but the iPhone 4S has a 3.5 inch display. iPhone 5 is 4″
Oh, good. Thanks for the clarification. However, it's still a bit big for my small hand :-). The iPhone 4S is the latest model that I can handle relatively well even with one hand. With the iPhone 5, I already have trouble reaching the lock button and some parts of the touchscreen with one hand.
You're welcome, I understand you exactly, I have the same problem with iP 6 and 6S. Yes, on 4.7" it is better to work, for example, with a terminal, but the same thing bothers me as you. For me, the 4" ones are ideal for control :-)
The terminal on the phone is more of an emergency solution. I tend to use a BlackBerry with a "full" hardware QWERTY for that.
Previously, manufacturers always tried to make phones as small as possible. Now the opposite trend is occurring due to the good controllability of the displays. I prefer a smaller, easily portable phone. I have a tablet for reading and gaming. For some, one device between the size of a phone and a tablet is enough. Overall, however, I would be interested in where these trends will stabilize and which sizes will ultimately be the most interesting for practical use.
Of course you're right, but unfortunately I don't always take my tablet with me and if I'm on public transport and it's bad, I have to deal with it somehow. Fortunately, I write scripts for it, so relatively much can be done on the phone, especially so that I don't have to write a lot.
Exactly. It's true that the 4" suits me for reading books (epub, not PDF) and for gaming as well, I can handle the occasional messes via VNC/SSH, it's not for work, but exactly as you write, I'm looking for the same thing. A mobile phone that I can comfortably use with one hand and that will be compact to carry, I have a tablet/laptop for everything else. As for stabilization, I wouldn't see it for the near future, because there are a lot of people who prefer a phablet and also a lot of people like us, so we'll see. I would rather predict that the "small" phones will stabilize around the 4" and the big ones between 6-7", but this market is developing very quickly, so we'll see.
I'm afraid that it will again be quite a significant compromise. A lot of people would really want a high-end under 4″, but if there's a generation gap compared to the bigger brothers, then it's not what they'd like to get. It will be low-end.