iPhone 6 Release Date Rumors: 5.5-Inch ‘iPhone Air’ to Feature Faster A8 Chip Than 4.7-Inch Variant?

The iPhone Air could be much faster than its smaller iPhone 6 counterpart.
iPhone 6 Release Date Rumors: 5.5-Inch ‘iPhone Air’ to Feature Faster A8 Chip Than 4.7-Inch Variant?
Attendees gather at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference at the Moscone West center on June 2, 2014 in San Francisco, California. Apple CEO Tim Cook kicked off the annual WWDC which is typically a showcase for upcoming updates to Apple hardware and software. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
8/5/2014
Updated:
7/18/2015

The iPhone Air could be much faster than its smaller iPhone 6 counterpart.

The 5.5-inch iPhone 6, otherwise known as the “iPhone Air,” could have a faster, and more powerful A8 processor, according to Cowen & Co. analyst Timothy Arcuri via AppleInsider.

If this rumor is true, this won’t be the first time that Apple has given two versions of the same processor to two different devices. For instance, the iPad has an A7 processor that is clocked at 1.4 gigahertz, while the Retina display iPad Mini’s A7 processor is clocked at 1.3 gigahertz.

Additionally, Arcuri cites Asian supply chain sources that the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 processor requires a larger die, which suggests a “more wide-ranging architectural split.” This could mean that the phone could be packing a “larger array of graphics processing cores,” which is good news for app developers and users who crave more graphic intensive apps and games on their phones.

Also, Apple could be splitting the A8 manufacturing between South Korea-based Samsung and Taiwanese semi-conductor manufacturer TSMC, or just TSMC alone, according to rumors.

Unofficially, the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 is tipped for a September 19 launch, while the 5.5-inch iPhone Air might be launched in 2015 because of issues with the sapphire glass display.

Here are some rumored specifications of the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and the 5.5-inch iPhone Air:

Display and Resolution: 4.7-inch, 1334 x 750; 5.5-inch, 1920 x 1080

Processor: A8

Memory: 1GB RAM

Design: Narrower bezels, power button on the right, 6.5mm to 7mm thickness

Camera: 13 megapixel rear camera

 

Larry Ong is a New York-based journalist with Epoch Times. He writes about China and Hong Kong. He is also a graduate of the National University of Singapore, where he read history.
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