Apple's
upcoming iPhone 14 family is expected to launch in the fall and comprise of
four models: the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Max, iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone 14 Pro
Max. The "mini" model will be discontinued after the dismal sales of
the iPhone 13 mini.
According to a research note by analyst Jeff Pu for
Haitong International Securities, this year Apple will make its Pro and non-Pro
iPhone models much more alike than before - when it comes to the screens and
memory amounts used.
In fact, all four iPhone
14 models are said to sport 120 Hz screens, not just the two Pro devices
(as is currently the case in the iPhone 13 generation). Not just that, but all
four iPhone 14 models will also have the exact same RAM amount: 6GB. This too is
in contrast to the current situation, where the iPhone 13 mini and iPhone
13 have 4GB, while the Pro and Pro
Max have 6GB.
Previously, Pu said the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max
would bump that up to 8GB, but apparently that's not happening anymore. A
"supply chain check" revealed that cost considerations are to blame
for the change in strategy.
With these features being identical between the cheaper
non-Pro models and the more expensive Pros, it remains to be seen what
other things Apple can pack into the Pros to differentiate them and make the
price delta easy to swallow. We're sure cameras will continue to be one such
area of differentiation - but until now so were screen refresh rates and RAM
amounts.
For what it's worth, Pu says the Pros will start at
256GB of storage (while the non-Pros will start at 64GB, apparently), and the
Pro models will also come with the much-rumored
48 MP main camera.
It's still quite early in the iPhone 14 rumor cycle,
so don't take any of these things for granted just yet. There's plenty of time
for other rumors to either corroborate or challenge these statements.