5.5-Inch iPhone 6's A8 Processor May Be More Powerful Than in 4.7-Inch Model

[nando87]

Sorry, I thought Apple users were never interested in "specs"

It's all about the User Experience isn't it ?

And the iphone 5's PPI number was more than enough but now everybody is complaining about not getting the 2k or whatever resolution the 5,5 is rumoured to get into the 4,7 It's fun isn't it... Laughing about samsung users and now, suddenly, all they want are some of the specs samsung sells since 2 years ago... but now, of course, apple is doing it and the meaning of the numbers change, suddenly +400 PPI, 5''+ and higher processor specs are magical and incredible.

"These are my beliefs, if you don't like them I have others"

 

[Glideslope]

Ok lets do a roundup of the rumors on differences between the 4.7 & 5.5":

Different processors
Different touch module
Different glass material
Different camera lens system

If all these turn out to be true, it will be a stretch to call both the iphone 6!

4.7" iPhone 6 A7/ 1.4ghz / 28nm.

5.5" iPhone Air A8/ 2.0ghz Quad / 20nm.

 

[richardbb85]

specs dont mean a thing to me when u still have to charge ur phone 2-3x a day with casual usage, lags when opening apps, safari crashing/reload

 

[Azzin]

I think Apple discontinue the 5S and keep the budget 5C.

I think this makes sense, but with some extra colours.

So the current 5S becomes the new 5C, complete with Touch ID and a wider range of colours to choose from.

 

[HarryT]

What, like they do now you mean?

Or is every iPhone Apple make an iPhone 5s ?

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There is no 4.7" model either.

Apple told the world last year that 4" was the perfect size.
And they would never lie just to sell something would they?

Name a time Apple have come out with separate chips at the same time? They haven't. They only reuse the previous generation for the 'lower' end modal.

 

[chrisbru]

Apple will not be update the 5C's components. It selling just fine. Remember the iPad 2? IPad Mini? Apple considers budget - low end devices - end of the line.

iPad Mini? They updated it last year with a retina display and an A7, and kept the old one as a budget device. We'll see what they do with it when the new ones come out in the fall.

Regardless, agree to disagree I guess. It makes sense for them to have three tiers of phones - 4", 4.7", and 5.5". Continuing to update the 4" as the "budget model" C series would make more sense than the alternatives.

 

[chrmjenkins]

If there is a fan or vented airflow, then a heat sink can be separate from the enclosure, as airflow over the heat sink out of the enclosure will remove heat separate from the exterior surface of the enclosure.

If there is no fan or vented or circulatory airflow, then all internally generated heat must be dissipated though the surface of the device, making it the effective heat sink surface. How to get enough heat conductance from the die thru the package out to the chassis external surfaces or other airflow surfaces is a very common product design problem. A bigger device with more external surface area makes this easier, thus allowing a higher performance processor die.

Read the original poster's question/comment. They referenced a heatsink, not the heatsink (or the device) in reference to cooling. To the layman, a heatsink is a discrete hunk of metal directly interfacing the package. That was the context in which I was answering the question. You're not saying anything I didn't know or that I disagree with.

 

[PocketSand11]

"iPhone 5C"?

Oh boy, that would be bad XD

----------

Sorry, I thought Apple users were never interested in "specs"

It's all about the User Experience isn't it ?

Specs may come second, but they still matter. Everyone would want faster rather than slower hardware.

 

[nando87]

Oh boy, that would be bad XD

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Specs may come second, but they still matter. Everyone would want faster rather than slower hardware.

Only if it has an apple logo

 

[shansoft]

5.5 Inch iPod Touch / Mini iPad Mini.....

Why would people think Apple would release 5.5" phone when markets for Phablets are shrinking...?

 

[AppleScruff1]

Personally I hope the 5.5" is the flagship and has better specs and performance than the 4.7".

 

[Yinmay]

There won't be anything called an "iPhone 6". They'll adopt the same naming convention as iPads: iPhone mini and iPhone Air.

Starting price (contract-free):
iPhone Air 32 GB $799
iPhone mini 32 GB $699
iPhone 5S 16 GB $549
iPhone 5C 16 GB $449

Next year, an iPhone mini 16 GB for $499 will replace both the 5S and 5C.

 

[firewood]

Name a time Apple have come out with separate chips at the same time?

Apple is now a much bigger company than when they came out with the Mac 128k and Apple IIe at about the same time (both containing Apple engineered custom chips).

 

[bsolar]

Why would people think Apple would release 5.5" phone when markets for Phablets are shrinking...?

According to which sources? From e.g. this article "phablets" seem to be selling incredibly well:

Phablets Now Crushing Small Tablet Sales: Sales of smartphones with 5-inch-plus displays grew 369% in Q1

Phablets — those 5-inch or larger smartphones everyone was making fun of a few years ago — are on an absolute tear. Not only are they the hottest selling smartphone category, now they’re eating into small tablet sales — the same devices that have been driving tablet sales.

 

[Glideslope]

Name a time Apple have come out with separate chips at the same time? They haven't. They only reuse the previous generation for the 'lower' end modal.

R&D Dictates use. If you cannot fab enough on the 20nm then you choose where to use the "Clocked A7" in 28nm. Moving to 20nm and then 14nm has not gone as quickly as anticipated. Intel is having trouble with their 14nm Fab. So is Samsung. Apple will use Samsung's 14nm Fab Process for the A9, as this has been announced. The chip being created at Global Foundries. Hopefully by early 2016 now.

The 20nm A8 Fab has not been identified publicly. Just rumors. The 5.5" iPhone Air will not have a clocked A7 in it.

 

[jrswizzle]

Hope not! I want to buy a phone based on screen size, and not be forced to use a bigger screen to get better performance.

Why? You pay more to get a larger 15" MBP that's more powerful than a 13" MBP or MBA.....

As long as the 4.7" iPhone 6 isn't running an A7 or anything, what's the problem with two iPhones sized differently and running different versions of Apple's 2014 processor?

It's like these devices in our hands aren't computers....

 

[iLohez]

There won't be anything called an "iPhone 6". They'll adopt the same naming convention as iPads: iPhone mini and iPhone Air.

Starting price (contract-free):
iPhone Air 32 GB $799
iPhone mini 32 GB $699
iPhone 5S 16 GB $549
iPhone 5C 16 GB $449

Next year, an iPhone mini 16 GB for $499 will replace both the 5S and 5C.

Not the best marketing plan of calling "iPhone mini" while smaller iPhones are still on sale...
But iPhone Air is stronger probable !

Logical marketing aside, your idea is possible to get a clear iPhone range next year !

 

[jrswizzle]

There won't be anything called an "iPhone 6". They'll adopt the same naming convention as iPads: iPhone mini and iPhone Air.

Starting price (contract-free):
iPhone Air 32 GB $799
iPhone mini 32 GB $699
iPhone 5S 16 GB $549
iPhone 5C 16 GB $449

Next year, an iPhone mini 16 GB for $499 will replace both the 5S and 5C.

It's gotta happen at some point. Perhaps this is the year? The whole "Mini, Air, Pro" naming convention will eventually make its way to all Apple products. My bet is there will still be a 4" iPhone that hangs around and it will pick up the "mini" tag. The 4.7" will be the Air and the 5.5" the Pro.

Honestly, this makes the most sense and falls in line with the "iPad Pro" rumors (which could turn out to simply be a retina Macbook Air).

I betcha we get a 4" iPhone mini this year which turns out to be a repurposed iPhone 5S. "Released" alongside the iPhone Air (4.7" version) at the September event. The iPhone Pro (5.5") will be announced in October along with new iPad Minis and Airs AND the new iPad Pro.

Hell, the 5C could "live on" as the iPhone Color - replacing the iPod Touch line (as it goes under) and coming in as Apple's "low-cost" device (free on-contract, $350 off-contract)

----------

Personally I hope the 5.5" is the flagship and has better specs and performance than the 4.7".

It doesn't have to be "the flagship" just because its faster and has better specs.

Is the Note line the flagship of Samsung's fleet? No....that would be the Galaxy S series.

My guess is we see a bit more differentiation between the "Mini" and "Air" versions in both the iPad and in the iPhone.

 

[cocky jeremy]

A more power processor would make sense to compensate a higher resolution screen.

Exactly what I was thinking. It pretty much NEEDS to be faster, otherwise it's slower.

 

[jrswizzle]

I feel like I've got this down way better than Apple does.....

By 2015 this should be Apple's mobile device lineup:

iPhones
-iPhone Color (repurposed iPhone 5C): Free/$349 (16 GB)
-iPhone Mini (repurposed iPhone 5S): $99/$449 (16 GB)
-iPhone Air (new 4.7" model): $199/$549 (16 GB)
-iPhone Pro (new 5.5" model): $299/$649 (16 GB)

The Air and Pro would have 32, 64 and 128 GB options at increasing increments of $100.

iPads
-iPad Color (repurposed iPad mini): $299/$429 (16 GB)*
-iPad Mini: $399/$529 (16 GB)
-iPad Air: $499/$629 (16 GB)
-iPad Pro: $599/$729 (16 GB)

It's quite possible Apple decides to up the storage or lower the price differences for more....but I've thought that for the last two years and will believe it when I see it.

This lineup standardizes Apple's mobile offerings and allows for annual updates across the board (similar to how the iPad is updated). It's likely too ambitious/diversified for reality, but to me it represents a complete lineup that hits all kinds of price points and allows for more people to enter the iOS ecosystem.

*Meh, its not happening but it could make sense for education and such...offering a plastic-backed iPad model based on last year's internals. And it would match the iPhone line.

 

[kolax]

As long as the 4.7" iPhone 6 isn't running an A7 or anything, what's the problem with two iPhones sized differently and running different versions of Apple's 2014 processor?

It's like these devices in our hands aren't computers....

If the 5.5" A8 is not something that could realistically be put into the 4.7" model then fair enough. I was more thinking that Apple is doing it to up-sell/push sales on the 5.5" rather than it being a hardware limitation. And it'll really suck if they do it for money, because the size of a phone is far more important than the size of a laptop.

 

[cesjr]

It's not really hard to believe. If Apple releases the 5.5-inch model "several months later" as rumored a spec bump would be expected, right?

Otherwise what you have is a second iPhone 6 model released half a year later with the same specs as the 4.7-inch. Wouldn't people be more upset at that fact?

 

[bobenhaus]

[url=http://cdn.macrumors.com/im/macrumorsthreadlogodarkd.png]Image[/url]


Cowen & Co. analyst Timothy Arcuri claims the 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 will differ in more than just display size, reports AppleInsider. According to Arcuri's supply chain checks, the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 may include a more powerful processor and a different touch module than the 4.7-inch model.

ImageA7 transistor die photo from Chipworks​

Details on the degree of processor difference between the two models were not provided, but the report suggests it may be more than a simple difference in clock speed as seen in the A7 used in the current iPads and iPhone 5s. The A7 in the iPad Air is clocked at 1.4 GHz, while the same chip in the Retina iPad mini and iPhone 5s is clocked at 1.3 GHz.

Arcuri suggests the processor in the faster 5.5-inch iPhone 6 may actually have a larger die than the version found in the 4.7-inch model. This architectural change may hint at an A8 processor with a different graphics processor or possibly a new process for the fabrication of the chip.

Besides two different processors, Arcuri also believes the two iPhone 6 models may ship with different touch modules, with TPK as the likely manufacturer.

Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone at a September event with the 4.7-inch model possibly arriving first and the 5.5-inch following up to several months later.

Article Link: 5.5-Inch iPhone 6's A8 Processor May Be More Powerful Than in 4.7-Inch Model

Hahah Apple is telling their customers what they want you to purchase! sad but true. Kinda forcing people to purchase the 5.5 inside of the 4.7.

 

[BenTrovato]

It's not really hard to believe. If Apple releases the 5.5-inch model "several months later" as rumored a spec bump would be expected, right?

Otherwise what you have is a second iPhone 6 model released half a year later with the same specs as the 4.7-inch. Wouldn't people be more upset at that fact?

Haha well said. I wonder if this will replace the tick tock model of S releases doing a 4.7 and 5.5 inch release month apart. I don't really have the details ironed out but it would be a type of innovation.

 

[jrswizzle]

If the 5.5" A8 is not something that could realistically be put into the 4.7" model then fair enough. I was more thinking that Apple is doing it to up-sell/push sales on the 5.5" rather than it being a hardware limitation. And it'll really suck if they do it for money, because the size of a phone is far more important than the size of a laptop.

Why think of it like that?

A 4.7" device has a certain amount of internal space. There is an A8 in there at a certain die size and clock speed to run as efficiently as possible with all the other components.

A 5.5" device has more internal space. Perhaps a larger, faster A8 can be installed. This device also carries a $100 premium over the 4.7" device.

Again, this is how things work. The whole entitled consumer attitude is ridiculous. Apple puts what they want into their devices and charges what they believe the market will bear. If they want to make a faster 5.5" device and charge $100 more for it, that's what they should do. You're getting more for your money.

That doesn't make the 4.7" somehow obsolete or worthless. For crying out loud it would still have the most up-to-date internals!

The idea that the least common denominator should have everything the most powerful guys have is ridiculous....

Man, I must really have been fleeced then since I bought a 13" Macbook Air for $1800 when I could've gotten the far more powerful 15" Macbook Pro for $2500. Why couldn't they have just put the same internals into my 13" MBA!?!?!

Hell, the 13" MBP has more powerful chipsets and internals than my 13" MBA....and they have the same size display! Instead of, ya know charging more for more power, they should've just crammed all that power into my lower cost MBA.

(see....does that make any sense? Why are we trying to make that work with smartphones?)