According to TrendForce, Apple’s next-gen ‘A16’ chip will be exclusive to the 6.1-inch iPhone 14 Pro and 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Pro Max models expected to be released this fall. The 6.1-inch iPhone 14 and the 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Max will retain Apple’s A15 Bionic SoC.
The iPhone 13 series continued to sell well and the new SE3 helped Apple’s production volume reach 60 million units in 1Q22, achieving excellence performance compared to the same period last year, with an annual growth of rate 11.1%, mainly due to cannibalizing Huawei’s former high-end model orders while making up for losses incurred from the suspension mobile phone sales in Russia in response to the Russia-Ukraine war. The Chinese lockdowns adversely affected the operation performance of foundries and the supply chain. Fortunately, Apple was in a transition period between new and old models during 2Q22 and, since Q2 normally posts the lowest production performance in the year, any collateral impact was relatively limited.
It is worth mentioning, the iPhone 14 series to be launched by Apple in 2H22 will feature four new models. Most notably and unlike prior offerings, only the latest processors are employed in the Pro series. In addition to taking into account terminal pricing strategy, this can also highlight differences in market positioning. As rising inflation changes consumer behavior, this type of product positioning is expected to attract more buyers.
MacDailyNews Take: This corroborates (or, perhaps, reiterates) Ming-Chi Kuo’s March assertion that the “A16” chip will be exclusive to the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max.
Only two Pro models would upgrade to the A16 processor, while the 14 & 14 Max will remain the A15. All four new models will likely come with 6GB RAM, with the difference being LPDDR 5 (14 Pro & 14 Pro Max) vs. LPDDR 4X (14 & 14 Max). https://t.co/tHcszIz6gX
— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) March 13, 2022
A little birdie also concurs.
The “Pro” iPhones should stand apart from all other models in multiple significant ways beyond camera capabilities. — MacDailyNews, March 14, 2022
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If true, iPhone 13 mini remains largely up-to-date when (if) it continues to be sold as new alongside the not-Pro iPhone 14 using same A15. Maybe there will be an iPhone 15 mini when the non-Pro iPhones all move to a newer A-chip. AND iPhone SE (2022), the more optimal “mini” iPhone, essentially gets an extra year of life before needing a refresh.