Just when we were about to believe we know almost all that there is about the upcoming iPhone 12 series, here is a shocker, the entry-level iPhone 12 might be named iPhone Mini.
Unfortunately, that isn’t just about the iPhone Mini’s dimensions – the phone is slated to come with a 5.4-inch display – the processor too could be downgraded so that it might not come with the A14 Bionic chip that we thought would be the case all along. Rather, it’s a B14 chip that could instead be seen powering the iPhone Mini.
The above piece of news has its origins in a Tweet message courtesy of MauriQHD, who is also claiming the so called B14 chip is, in reality, the A14 Bionic but with a different state of tune. As per rumors on this, the B14 has been underclocked and is designed to allow for better efficiency instead of processing power.
Apple B14 chip
They have a midrange chip ready 👀
idk if its the battery-saving-but-less-powerful A14 i´ve leaked before, or a whole new chip
for the iPhone 12 Mini maybe? SE2 Plus? SE3? idk
i´ve had it for months
but #AppleEvent in 14 hours.. cant risk itim hearing
— Mauri QHD (@MauriQHD) September 15, 2020
The leak also suggests the B14 will go on to power future iterations of the iPhone SE, which, if true, will make it more affordable but rob it of its biggest draw – flagship processor. As it is, the iPhone Mini could end up being priced in the vicinity of $500. This should allow Apple to compete with the budget flagship phone segment while the iPhone SE could be positioned to take on the mid-range segment.
Such an arrangement would make sense for Apple as it embarks on a fresh drive to take on the ever growing Android bouquet of phones. The plan would be specifically beneficial for a price sensitive market like India, where the volumes lie in the mid-range segment. The regular iPhone devices, in contrast, operated in the upper echelons of the flagship phone category.
In an earlier rumor on this, Apple is touted to adopt a slightly different naming scheme for the iPhone 12 devices. For instance, the 5.4-inch model is likely to be named iPhone Mini while the next higher model, the 6.1-inch version, could simply be named as the iPhone 12. Thereafter, its going to be the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max for the 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch models, respectively.
