Apple is widely expected to launch two new iPhone models again in 2014, just as it did last year with the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c. This time, however, both devices will be completely new iPhone models unlike any device Apple has launched to date.
Following a report from well-sourced KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the company has long been expected to debut a new 4.7-inch iPhone 6 around September and then launch a larger 5.5-inch iPhone phablet later in the year, but a new report could suggest that the launches of Apple’s two new iPhone models will be closer than expected.
Citing unnamed sources within Apple’s component supply chain, Digitimes on Tuesday reported several previously unknown details surrounding Apple’s production schedule for its next-generation iPhone models.
According to the report, longtime Apple partner Foxconn has secured contracts to manufacture both new iPhone models set to launch this year. Foxconn will reportedly begin mass-producing the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 in July, and then it will commence production of the 5.5-inch iPhone phablet the following month in August.
The report states that Foxconn will build 70% of Apple’s iPhone 6 handsets in 2014 and 2015, with Pegatron having secured contracts for the remaining 30%.
If accurate, the timing stated in Digitimes’ report is curious. Apple had been expected to release its new 4.7-inch iPhone around September and its 5.5-inch iPhone closer to the end of the year.
Apple will likely sell far fewer 5.5-inch iPhone models than 4.7-inch models though, suggesting that the handset will need far less lead time to mass-produce units. As such, the launches of these two new iPhone models could be much closer together than some industry watchers had expected.
According to reports from several solid sources, Apple’s new 4.7-inch iPhone 6 will feature a completely redesigned case, a 1,704 x 960-pixel display and a new A8 processor. Apple’s larger 5.5-inch iPhone is thought to feature similar specs and a full HD screen.
Want to know what the iPhone 6 will look like? Be sure to check out iPhone 6 vs. iPhone 5s: New leak gives us a better look at huge redesign.
