Apple’s bigger iPhone model(s) that keep popping up in rumors may be unveiled sooner than expected, a report from Chinese publication Huanqiu (via Yahoo Japan) indicates, as the company is said to be planning to debut the iPhone phablets as a separate product line in May. However, these devices will not be part of the iPhone 6 family of smartphones, which will launch later this year as expected, most likely in September.
The iPhone phablets will reportedly pack a display that’s bigger than 5 inches and a 20 nanometer processor made by TSMC that’s either going to be a new A8 processor or a revamped A7 CPU. Samsung manufactures the current 64-bit A7 processor used by the iPhone 5s and 2013 iPad models, on a HKMG 28 nanometer process.
A report from South Korean publication ET News said the iPhone 6 will be released in September and will feature a slimmer profile than its predecessor. The same story said that the price of the iPhone 5s will go down to $100 in May for reasons unknown, but a phablet launch would certainly explain the price drop.
It’s not clear at this time whether any of these new iPhone reports are based on actual Apple plans, or whether they’re related in any way. What’s absolutely certain, however, is that they can’t possibly be confirmed.
For what it’s worth, numerous reports have now said that Apple will finally launch a bigger iPhone this year in an effort to take on smartphones with larger displays from the competition.
