Here’s why the iPhone 16 could be cheaper than the iPhone 15
It’s a possibility…
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We’re counting down the weeks and months until theiPhone 15makes its debut with a high level of anticipation, but we’re not going to ignore any iPhone 16 rumors and leaks that come our way – especially when they involve a potential price drop.
This tip comes from Chinese social media siteWeibo(viaMacRumors), from someone who claims to have decades of experience in the electronics industry. Tips from the same source have checked out in the past, but as always with leaks, don’t take this information as being accurate or guaranteed just yet.
The source says thatAppleis planning to switch the process it uses to manufacture its A17 Bionic chipsets at some point next year, in order to save costs. That chipset hasn’t yet been announced, but is expected to power theiPhone 15 Proand the iPhone 15 Pro Max this year, and the iPhone 16 and the iPhone 16 Plus next year.
In other words, Apple could be saving itself a chunk of money by changing the way it makes these processors between the iPhone 15 and the iPhone 16. Now, we’re speculating when it comes toany resulting price dropsfor consumers, but it’s a possibility.
What’s in a nanometer?
The A17 Bionic chipset due to arrive with the iPhone 15 Pro modelsis strongly rumoredto be making the jump to 3 nanometer (nm) architecture. Without getting too deep into the technical details, it essentially means that more transistors can be crammed into a smaller space on the chip.
That means better performance in a processor the same size (or smaller), and usually better power efficiency too – so it’s kinder to the battery. The currentiPhone 14 Proand Pro Max are fitted with a 4nm Apple A16 Bionic CPU (the lower the nanometer number, the better for speed).
If this rumor is correct, Apple wants to change the way its partner TSMC makes the A17 next year, moving to a process that leads to better performance as well as lower costs. As we’ve said though, an iPhone 16 price drop might not happen: Apple might just decide to keep higher profit margins on the handset.
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We can hope. If Apple sticks to its usual schedule, we’ll be seeing four iPhone 15 models make an appearance sometime in September – and so far there haven’t been any rumors around pricing. TheiPhone 14currently starts at $799 / £849 / AU$1,339.
Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you’ll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.
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