The late Steve Jobs had his firm belief that the "sweet spot" for the iPhone is about 3.5 inches, and anything north of that would become difficult to use. This mantra had also made its way to Cupertino's first line of iPads as well. However, Jobs may have failed to anticipate the wide reception of smartphones with bigger displays heralded by Android handset manufacturers Samsung and LG, leading to Cupertino's decision to catch up in the smartphone race by increasing the display size of the iPhone. Although the decision was well received by many, as clearly evident by Apple's revenues as of late, there are still those who prefer a smaller iPhone, and that's what an analyst is expecting to come out next year.
According to a report published by KGI Securities Ming-Chi Kuo, Cupertino may release a new 4-inch iPhone that would resemble an upgraded iPhone 5S. Kuo says that the new device will be released in the first half of next year and will be powered by the same chipset that's equipped in both the iPhone 6 and 6S Plus.
"As there is still demand for a 4-inch iPhone, we believe Apple will upgrade this product line," writes Kuo in an inverstors' note posted by Mac Rumors. Later on, Kuo added that Apple will most likely launch an upgraded iPhone 5S due it being more popular than the iPhone 5C. He also predicts that Apple will be mass-producing the upgraded iPhone 5S in the first half of next year with metal casings.
However, the new 4-inch iPhone will not be equipped with the latest 3D touch support that was introduced with the iPhone 6S and the iPhone 6S Plus in order to keep it differentiated from the two new iPhones. Furthermore, Kuo also predicts that Apple could ship about 20 million to 30 million units of the 4-incher by the end of next year.
Kuo has been one of the most trusted analysts for Apple's products - over the recent years, he has accurately predicted the company's launch of both the 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch variants of the iPhone 6, the two sizes of the Apple Watch, the new 12-inch MacBook, and the hardware specifications of the iPhone 6S.
