“According to 9to5Mac‘s Mark Gurman, Apple’s upcoming 4-inch smartphone will use the company’s latest A9 processor rather than the older generation A8 processor as had been previously speculated,” Ashram Eassa writes for The Motley Fool. “If this is true, then this is certainly good for Apple customers, as the A9 processor is extremely capable and should provide excellent performance for years to come.”
“However, there may be other reasons that Apple will use this chip rather than the A8/M8 combination,” Eassa writes. “According to Apple, the integration of the M9 co-processor (essentially a sensor hub) into the same die as the A9 chip allows for the always-on ‘Hey, Siri’ functionality that was introduced with the iPhone 6s/6s Plus.”
Additionally, Eassa writes, “The integration of the M9 co-processor into the A-series chip should actually yield some cost savings.”
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MacDailyNews Take: Let’s hope Apple’s 4-inch iPhone is indeed as up-to-date as possible.