Apple could release both the iPhone 5S and budget iPhone handset this summer, breaking its usual annual launch pattern.
According to a note acquired by BGR, a RBC Capital Markets analyst suggest that information from supply-chains suggest we could be seeing both handsets as soon as June.
“Our supply-chain checks indicate that AAPL is working to launch multiple new phones in the June/July time-frame this year,” wrote RBC Capital Markets analyst Amit Daryanani in a research note. “Specifically, [Apple] will launch the iPhone 5S and a more affordable but lower-end iPhone at the same time, in either late CYQ2 or early Q3.”
Recent rumours have suggested that the iPhone 5S would only offer small improvements on the iPhone 5, but the upgrade would pack a higher-end processor and an improved camera with more megapixels than the iPhone 5’s 8-megapixel offering.
The heavily-rumoured budget iPhone has been tipped to cost around $200 or £125, with the classic metal case design of the Apple smartphone scrapped for a plastic backed handset and the specs sheet lowered to reflect its lower price entry-point. However, Daryanani’s checks have unearthed some new features of the cheap iPhone, including its screen size.
“The low-end iPhone will have the same 4-inch form factor as the iPhone 5 but will have plastic casing and no retina display. With a lower price-point, [Apple] will be able to target a growing and important part of the Smartphone market (sub-$400 [£250] price-band).”
Rumours of a cheaper iPhone are still strong, despite Apple’s Senior Vice President Phil Schiller rejecting any ideas that Apple would be producing a budget handset.
“Despite the popularity of cheap smartphones, this will never be the future of Apple’s products,” he said in an interview in January. “Every product that Apple creates, we consider using only the best technology available.”
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
