iPhone 14 Pro Models Will Be The 'Only' iPhones With A16 Chip: Kuo

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has predicted that the iPhone 14 Pro models will be the ‘only’ models to get the A16 processor. He says the regular iPhone 14, and a new 14 Max will ship with the current A15 chip.

Kuo predicts four new iPhones will launch in 2022. He says the lineup will be made of the regular-sized iPhone 14 and 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro Max, and a new iPhone 14 Max. All four devices are predicted to ship with 6GB RAM, with the Pro models getting LPDDR5 memory.

Considering Kuo’s prediction, we may not get a Mini model this year. However, the 6.7-inch Max would make for an affordable big-screen iPhone without the third camera. With that said, we think Apple may steer away from the Mini to the Max in 2022. The move is likely to give Apple some advantage over Android phones with bigger screens.

iPhone 14 Pro And A16 Chip

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

This isn’t the first time we may see a processor difference in two iPhones. 9to5Mac points out that Apple pulled this off in 2013 when the iPhone 5S got the A7 chip, and the iPhone 5C was released with the older A6 processor.

Another reason why we think Apple may do it is related to the newest iPhone SE and iPad Air. Apple retrofitted the M1 chip into the same iPad Air design as last year. The iPhone SE with its A15 Bionic chip is also the same story.

With that said, Apple has already released two new devices with the same internals but a new chip. So it won’t be a surprise if the company were to take this approach for the iPhone lineup too. It could also mean that the 2022 models could be priced cheaper than the current iPhone 13. The bigger iPhone 14 Max, on the other hand, would give users the option to choose a bigger phone for less money.

Would you buy a new iPhone with an old processor? Do let us know in the comments.