I think this is a horrible idea. Apple has had the same processors in all of its phones from the $429 iPhone SE (3rd Generation) to the $1599 iPhone 13 Pro Max they have used this same philospihy since March of 2016 when the origional iPhone SE came out. I think this goes against evreything Apple goes by, Do not do this please.
Only the iPhone 14 Pro models will have the "A16" chip, while the standard iPhone 14 models will retain the A15 Bionic chip from the iPhone 13, according to insightful Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
In a tweet, Kuo said that the 6.1-inch "iPhone 14 Pro" and the 6.7-inch "iPhone 14 Pro Max" will get the A16 chip, while the 6.1-inch "iPhone 14" and the 6.7-inch "iPhone 14 Max" will retain the same A15 chip from the iPhone 13 lineup.
The two more affordable iPhone models retaining the same chip as the previous year could be a major new point of differentiation between the standard and "Pro" iPhone models. Going forward, it seems plausible that Apple could only offer a new chip with the "Pro" models, before it subsequently trickles down to the two cheaper iPhone models the following year.
Kuo added that all four of the iPhone 14 models are likely to come with 6GB of memory, with the standard iPhone 14 models having LPDDR 4X memory and the iPhone 14 Pro models having LPDDR 5 memory.
Currently, the iPhone 13 mini and iPhone 13 feature 4GB of memory, while the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max feature 6GB of memory. These amounts are unchanged from the iPhone 12 lineup. For the iPhone 14 lineup, Kuo suggests that all models will feature 6GB of RAM, but the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max's LPDDR 5 memory will be up to one and a half times faster and up to 30 percent more power efficient.
Kuo's claim stands in contrast to a rumor from Haitong International Securities' Jeff Pu, which suggested suggested the iPhone 14 Pro models will feature 8GB of RAM, the same amount as the Samsung Galaxy S22 models. That being said, Pu has a mixed track record with Apple rumors. For example, he accurately claimed that 16-inch MacBook Pro and iPad Pro models with mini-LED displays would launch in 2021, but he was incorrect about HomePods with 3D sensing cameras launching in 2019. This may bring the 8GB RAM rumor into question now that Kuo, a more established analyst in the Apple space with a better track record, is claiming otherwise.
Article Link: Kuo: Only iPhone 14 Pro Models to Get 'A16' Chip, Standard Models to Retain A15
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Kuo: Only iPhone 14 Pro Models to Get 'A16' Chip, Standard Models to Retain A15
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I think if they put people in a blind test of an A15 and a A14 nobody would tell the difference, and on a phone that says a lot. The term "Latest and greatest" is something I here and its just marketing BS as Apple are making things like the battery boards cheaper (https://www.theverge.com/2020/8/21/21394985/apple-iphone-12-battery-cost-5g-kuo) to off set Qualcomm's modem prices, basically the iPhone is so powerful now maybe a new SoC every two years would be fine with hardware refinements and better software, so we don't have launches of phones that need updating straight out the box as they did last year, because the release day units came with a RC version of iOS 15 as the 13 Pro did and I assume the 13 was the same.
I bought the 13 Pro for better battery life and I am indeed happy with that, but I cant tell if its faster than the iPhone 12 Pro, people are just to hung up on stats when in real life on a phone they mean very little in performance. Also with a lack of Neon causing issues now now the semiconductor shortage is going to hit even Apples supply chain at some point and maybe they are pushing the new M1 variants for the Mac Studio and other machines so the A15's are good enough for the majority of folks who just want to use a phone and don't need to boast about how many meaningless calculations the CPU can do per second, when the phone is never pushed that hard in real world usage.
I bought the 13 Pro for better battery life and I am indeed happy with that, but I cant tell if its faster than the iPhone 12 Pro, people are just to hung up on stats when in real life on a phone they mean very little in performance. Also with a lack of Neon causing issues now now the semiconductor shortage is going to hit even Apples supply chain at some point and maybe they are pushing the new M1 variants for the Mac Studio and other machines so the A15's are good enough for the majority of folks who just want to use a phone and don't need to boast about how many meaningless calculations the CPU can do per second, when the phone is never pushed that hard in real world usage.
The 6GB of RAM on the 14 Pro will most likely be LPDDR5 which might mean one extra year of iOS support for the 14 Pro.
Yeah, my iPhone 12 Pro is more capable than the Sony RX100M3 I purchased in 2014. I’m on the fence if I should upgrade it when the RX100M8 is finally released by Sony. I may just be better off upgrading to an iPhone 14 Pro instead.
You mean better to make more profit by selling the same chip with a new name after a year?
I hear you. iPhones are getting pretty good. I guess the main advantage of the next Sony RX100M8 is if it had the 200mm zoom like the mark 7 has. Would be great for travel/wildlife etc. But there is a rumor that the iPhone 14 pro will have an actual telescoping zoom lens. I dunno how much of a telephoto lens it will be tho. The current one on the iPhone 13 is 3x or 76mm equivalent. I doubt the iPhone 14 would get a 200mm equivalent Optical zoom. I have nothing against regular cameras. I just find myself using them less & less these days… Unless I am doing specialized stuff like wildlife photography. My iPhone is always on me tho. Happy shooting! ??? ?
They would make something like A15X with like 5% faster in benchmark 0% different in real life and call it the fastest non pro iPhone ever lol xd
I definitely think the software is not keeping up with the hardware. My iPad with the M1 is vastly more powerful than anything I do on the iPad. And I use the iPad nearly daily. But I don't video edit, so what is the hardware really going to do for my use cases?
If the rumors that the CPU won't be upgraded for the standard iPhone in September, then I think Apple is basically saying they think the CPU is more than good enough for most users.
I would reiterate though that TSMC are rumoured to be increasing the price on newer CPU processes (blame inflation and the various world crises at the moment) so it’s possible that Apple may have to pass the costs on at some point, and this arrangement may be their way to mitigate that for another year of TSMC holding the price on older existing A series CPUs (potentially due to previous deals by Apple).
In any case the rumour was that the A15 cpu going into the iPhone 14 was apparently to be the one with 5 gpu cores that had been reserved for the iPhone 13 pro in the current generation so it won’t be the same Processor as iPhone 13 but it’ll have better GPU performance (5 vs 4 cores for 20 percent better graphics). Expect apple to demonstrate some games perhaps.
You can then expect that iPhone 14 pro may have a price increase to go along with some rumoured feature upgrades including multi megapixel camera upgrades and slightly bigger screens as it goes with the newer A16.
If no price increase this time then certainly next year - and I’d expect that lower spec Apple devices may start to look at the A15/M1 level in due course if the deal with TSMC is valid for some years.
It might also explain why some M2 Macs get a redesign if the price and/or spec increases.
I mooted the possibility of Apple keeping the M1 for base models and saving M2 for upper SKUs but absorbing chip price increases by offering M2 only with 16gb RAM and 512gb storage base where a redesign isn’t on the cards might be a plan.
As for software, iPads are definitely due a rumoured ‘Pro Mode’ and Apple would be wise to restrict this to M1 iPads - it would certainly be a boost to people who have the higher spec iPads.
They should maybe introduce a Guest Mode (or multiple users) into All iPads capable of ios 16 in any case.
And the same A15 with 5 gpu cores would be a great upgrade for a 7th generation appletv 4k if Apple want to launch a lower spec cost reduced model with A13 for example.
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I think Apple’s intention is to create a selling point to upgrade to the more expensive models.
Switching to Android would be a hassle. I would rather keep my iPhone a little longer and use the money to purchase one of the expensive iPhones with the latest SoC.
So, if I bought iPhone 13 standard with A15 and the 14 is come with the same chip, skip the 14, 15 and go straight to a iPhone 16 Pro.
The iPhone 14 Max with A15 SoC is going to sell like mad, and I suspect it will outsell the iPhone 14 Pro Max.
For the tech savvy who cares about the chip inside will go for the more expensive models though. But I have to see, as someone who observes the smartphones people use when I’m out in public, it’s amazing the amount of Pro and Pro Maxes I see in use. The demographics is also interesting, it’s mostly a lot of young people.
It’s kind of like the theory that some have had about the iPad. Many of the buyers of the 12.9 Pro buy it for the size. If Apple came out with a 12.9 Air or just a 12.9 basic iPad, it could potentially sell really well, despite its hypothetical lack of ProMotion or the latest processor.
The same might happen with the next iPhones. The 14 Max could become the new hot seller, with the regular 14 trailing behind.
I would have thought Apple have realised now after nearly 5 years that the majority of their customers aren’t interested in £1k+ iPhones. There’s a big reason why the mid tier models and older models do so well so I think if their strategy was how you suggest, they need to sack their marketing department. I don’t think most people really care what processor is in the phone as long as it’s fast and todays processors seem to be fast many years. Consumers care more about price and appealing features like camera tech and fancy colours.
I will probably buy the 14 Max for my wife. She couldn't give a chit about what SoC is in it. She just wants a big screen.
And in fact, I don't care much about the SoC either. The reason I'd choose the Pro Max over the non-Pro Max is for the better camera.
Yeah, it's similar to the idea of a 16" MacBook Air. They just want a bigger screen, and don't care about the so-called Pro features and SoC.
I don't think they'll do a 15-16" MacBook Air or 13" iPad Air anytime soon, but then again two years ago, I wasn't expecting the 14 Max either (even though I was hoping for one).
Well maybe that’s exactly why they are rumored to be reusing the same chip for the standard 14, because most don’t care. It’s all about the design, cameras plus capabilities. Will it record 8K and make cinematic like movies? Personally I could care less, still using an iPhone X that takes just as great photos and videos.
Phones have plateaued in innovation for years now.