Respected Analyst Publishes Most Reliable iPhone Rumors Yet

April 17, 2014

4

Some people fueling the rumor mill aren’t worth a read while others have a track record of getting it right almost every time.

Consistent accuracy is why when Ming Chi-Kuo of KGI Securities publishes a research note on Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) rumors, people read it closely.

Thursday, Kuo published a report laying out some of the most specific, detailed information to date about the upcoming iPhone 6. Here’s what he said:

The main flagship model will feature a 4.7-inch display—already widely reported. He expects the new retina screen on the phone to be 1,334 X 750 pixels or a density of 326 pixels per inch.

The phone will contain the new Apple A8 processor and 1GB of RAM—much lower than many Android devices that have two or three times that amount.

The iPhone 6 will be thinner and the bezel will be 10 to 20 percent smaller allowing users to still navigate the phone with one hand—something that has always been important to Apple.

Next, the phone will likely have NFC chips. Near field communications is something people have called on Apple to include in previous models but due to the infancy of the technology, Apple has said no.

Phablet

Kuo also believes that there will be an accompanying phablet. This phone with a 5.5-inch display will come with a full HD 1,920 X 1080-pixel display for a pixel density of 401 pixels per inch.

The phablet will have many of the same specs as the flagship iPhone 6 but the battery will be 50 to 70 percent larger than the 5S battery.

Much of his information has floated around rumor mills for a while but Kuo’s confirmation of the specs is big news to Apple watchers.

One new feature not previously reported is that the power/sleep/wake button located on the top of previous models will be on the side in the iPhone 6 models. This allows it to be more easily reached on larger phone models.

Finally, Kuo says that lower-end phones will continue to use Gorilla Glass but higher end models will switch to sapphire. Due to supply constraints, not all models will make the switch.

New reports show that the iPhone 6 could be huge for Apple. According to Andy Golub of 451 Research, pre-release demand for the phone is higher than with any previous model.