KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has high expectations for the iPhone 6. In a note to investors, Kuo detailed what he believes are the specifications for both the 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch models of the upcoming iPhone 6.
Kuo is a very well-informed individual. He has sources along the Apple supply chain and he frequently taps them for more information about new products. Since the iPhone 6 is arguably the most highly anticipated smartphone of 2014, of course Kuo went straight to his sources to find out more about the next Apple flagship.
What Kuo found largely confirms what we have all already heard: There will be two models of the iPhone 6. The smaller 4.7-inch model will arrive first, late in the third quarter of 2014, while the second, larger 5.5-inch model will arrive in the fourth quarter to close out the year.
The 4.7-inch iPhone 6 will feature a retina display with a resolution of 1334 x 750 pixels and a pixel density of 326 ppi. Meanwhile, the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 phablet will have a 1920 x 1080-pixel display with a pixel density of 401 ppi. Both models will feature a brand-new design that is significantly thinner and has almost no bezeling.
The two new iPhones will be powered by the spiffy new Apple A8 processor and 1GB of RAM. Kuo also expects to see Touch ID and near field communication on both iPhone 6 models. If Kuo's predictions about NFC are correct, it will be an amazing shift for Apple, a company that has been notoriously slow to adopt NFC.
Kuo also believes that Apple will finally give the iPhone a really powerful battery. His sources point to batteries up to 70 percent larger than those found on the iPhone 5S. Kuo also says that he has reason to believe that Apple will move the power button to the side of the device and only use sapphire glass displays on the most expensive, 64-GB models of the iPhone 6 due to supply shortages.
Kuo believes that Apple will stop selling the iPhone 4 and 4S once the new iPhone 6 models arrive, making the iPhone 5C the company's entry-level device and the 5S its middle-of-the-road handset.
If Kuo's predictions prove true, both models of the iPhone 6 will be powerful, large smartphones with top-of-the-line features. The iPhone 6 will also mark the biggest departure Apple has ever made from the original iPhone design. Chances are, everyone is going to love it.
