Earlier this year, rumors claimed that Apple would have three new iPhone versions in stores in 2015, but subsequent reports disputed those claims. Some argued that Apple had canceled the smallest model in its iPhone 6s family – thus far referred to as the iPhone 6c – while others said the phone might still be on track for release at a later point.
Now, a new report says that Apple is still making the handset, though the new 4-inch iPhone won’t launch until next year.
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According to chatter from the semiconductor industry, Apple is looking to equip the iPhone 5c successor with FinFET chips, Digitimes says.
Mass-produced by Samsung and TSMC, the chips will be built on 14/16nm process technology, which means they should be even more energy-efficient and powerful than their predecessor. Sources said that Apple’s original plan was to use 20nm chips in the iPhone 6c, but FinFET processor architecture would enable a “specs upgrade and lower power consumption.”
The drawback seems to be that Apple won’t launch the 4-inch iPhone 6c until some point in the second-quarter of 2016, a rather unusual release window for new iPhones. The tech site doesn’t actually explain why Apple would delay the iPhone 6c launch, but it would mean that Apple has not two but three redesigned iPhones in store for us in 2016.
Digitimes also says that TSMC and Samsung have already started mass-producing iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus chips, which should be built on 14/16nm FinFET tech as well.
