A staff of a China Mobile shop explains a function of the iPhone 5s
A 4-inch iPhone 7 speculated as an upgraded edition of the iPhone 5S is expected to release in first quarter of 2016. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

Word previously had it Apple was to launch a 4-inch iPhone this year. That didn’t come true, however.

Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst from KGI Securities, predicted Apple will release three iPhone 7 models in 2016. He speculated one of the three handsets will be a 4-inch iPhone.

Kuo said the 4-inch iPhone 7 will be an upgraded version of the iPhone 5s, according to Mac Rumors. Unlike the regular release pattern that sees Apple roll-out a new iPhone in September, Kuo speculated the 4-inch iPhone 7 will come out in the first quarter of 2016.

Kuo feels there’s sufficient market demand for a 4-inch Apple iPhone. Hence, Apple is likely to release an upgraded product in the 4-inch category.

He added the handset will soon go into mass production for release in the first quarter of next year. The Cupertino giant may ship around 20 to 30 million units of the 4-inch iPhone until the end of next year. The likely name for the four incher: iPhone 7 Mini.

Kuo claims the Mini will glisten in a metal body. The phone will be powered by the Apple A9 chipset to support the iOS 9 or the next year’s iOS 10. The 4-inch screen of the Mini won’t support 3D Touch, however.

As for the release of the iPhone 7, the successor model to the iPhone 6S, Kuo believes the iPhone 7 will hit markets by September 2016. This phone will be powered by the Apple A10 chipset.

Kuo added that the iPhone 7 will have 2 GB of RAM whereas the iPhone 7 Plus will arrive with 3 GB of RAM. The Mini will be manufactured by Foxconn while TSMC is rumoured to be manufacturer of the A9 and A10 chips.

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