Apple could be prepping a new 4-inch, A9-powered iPhone for 2016

By the time next October rolls around, the iPhone 5s will be three years old, and it’s next in line to be axed if Apple’s prior track record is any indication. The 4.7-inch iPhone 6s and 5.5-inch iPhone 6s Plus are each second-generation versions of what were the first larger-screen iPhones Apple brought to market. Designing a new, hopefully higher-end 4-inch model, as opposed to another side-grade like the plastic iPhone 5c, would cater to people still looking for a smaller handset that’s easy to hold in one hand.

This has been a perennial issue particularly with regards to the Android market. Something I’ve never quite understood is the apparent stampede of Samsung, LG, Motorola, HTC, and other Android handset vendors to outdo each other with larger screen sizes while abandoning smaller-but-still-high-end phones entirely. Sony, Huawei, and ZTE have also gotten in on the fun. Numerous times over the years, I’ve asked company representatives about smaller-screen, but still powerful handsets that can be used one-handed while holding onto a subway pole or a newborn with your other hand, only to be told point blank that journalists are the only people who ever ask about them, and that the market wants giant phones.

SwiftKey on iOS 8 on an iPhone 5S

I’m certainly willing to believe that — I also build my own PCs, and not everyone does that anymore either. And I myself am a phablet convert; I own an iPhone 6 Plus right now and have my eye on the Nexus 6P. But if Apple can sell bazillions of iPhone 6 and 6s handsets with 4.7-inch screens and top-of-the-line A9 processors, why can’t an Android vendor step up and do the same without crippling it with a midrange SoC and camera sensors? Time after time, we’ve been disappointed with promises of high-end specs across handsets like the Samsung Galaxy Alpha and the HTC One A9, only to find parts that aren’t best-in-class once they’re actually released. And here on the iOS side, not only is Apple selling tons of 4.7-inch iPhones, but it’s also considering going back to 4 inches for an entirely new design.

The report says that the new 4-inch model may join Apple’s lineup even before October 2016, and may show up in the first half of the year — and not only that, but that it will have the same super-fast A9 processor as the iPhone 6s. It’ll probably lack 3D Touch, but it will likely have a metal enclosure just like the higher-end models. Kuo says Apple could sell 20 to 30 million of this new 4-inch model by the end of the year. The report also said that a tentatively named iPhone 7 will come in the third quarter as predicted, and that it will feature an A10 processor, though if you ask me, that doesn’t take a huge leap of logic to come up with.