Analyst Says iPhone 5S and Cheaper iPhone Coming in August/September With China Mobile Support

iphone_5_black_whiteTaiwan's Commercial Times reports [Google translation] on a new research note from Barclays analyst Kirk Yang claiming that Apple is indeed preparing both an iPhone 5S and a lower-cost iPhone for launch in the August/September timeframe.

Yang notes that each of the devices will be available in two models: one supporting the standard frequency-division duplexing (FDD) technology used in most of the world and one supporting the time-division duplexing (TDD) used by China Mobile, the world's largest carrier. The report claims that Pegatron has received orders for the FDD version of the lower-cost iPhone, while Foxconn will be building the remaining three models.

The report claims that Apple is still weighing production volume for the new phones, working to estimate how much the lower-cost iPhone will cut into iPhone 5S sales and still gauging appropriate volumes for an expansion to China Mobile. Regardless, Apple does expect total iPhone shipments to be higher than last year's levels.

Yang's report conflicts with a report yesterday from Mac Otakara, which claimed that Apple's lower-cost iPhone is not likely to appear until 2014. It is, however, more in line with a roadmap outlined in January by KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has a strong track record in predicting Apple's plans.

Just over a month ago, iLounge shared some details on Apple's lower-cost iPhone, noting that it appears something like a hybrid of the iPhone 5 and iPod touch, with rear edge curves reminiscent of the iPod classic. The report claimed that the device will be half a millimeter taller and wider and one millimeter thicker than the iPhone 5 in order to account for the thicker plastic casing.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

streaming black friday 2025

Black Friday Streaming Deals Include Big Savings on Disney+, Hulu, Apple TV, and More

Monday November 24, 2025 8:03 am PST by
We've been focusing on deals on physical products over the past few weeks, but Black Friday is also a great time of year to purchase a streaming membership. Some of the biggest services have great discounts for new and select returning members this week, including Disney+, Hulu, Paramount+, Peacock, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a...
Apple Foldable Thumb

Foldable iPhone to Debut These Three Breakthrough Features

Tuesday November 25, 2025 7:09 am PST by
Apple's first foldable iPhone is expected to launch alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models in fall 2026, and it's shaping up to include three standout features that could set it apart from the competition. The book-style foldable will reportedly feature an industry-first 24-megapixel under-display camera built into the inner display, according to a recent JP Morgan equity research report. That...
General Black Friday Deals 25 Red

Apple Black Friday Deals Available Now on AirPods, iPads, Accessories, and More

Friday November 21, 2025 8:48 am PST by
We're only a few days away from Black Friday, which will take place on Friday, November 28 in 2025. As always, this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When...
General Apps Messages Redux

Singapore Orders Changes to iMessage by December

Tuesday November 25, 2025 6:39 am PST by
Singapore has ordered Apple to block or filter messages on iMessage that impersonate government agencies, requiring the company to implement new anti-spoofing protections by December as part of efforts to curb rising online scams, the Straits Times reports. Singapore's Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said that it had issued an Implementation Directive to Apple under the Online Criminal Harms...
maxresdefault

The MacRumors Show: iPhone 18 Pro Looks Like a Huge Upgrade

Friday November 21, 2025 9:10 am PST by
On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we talk through all of the new features and improvements expected to come to next year's iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max models. Subscribe to The MacRumors Show YouTube channel for more videos Apple's next-generation iPhones are less than ten months away and we already have a good idea about what to expect based on corroborated leaks, rumors,...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Adds These New Features to Your iPhone

Thursday November 20, 2025 10:50 am PST by
iOS 26.2 is currently in beta testing. The upcoming update includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, including a new Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics for Apple Music, and more. In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 26.2 will be released to all users in December, but it did not provide a specific release date. Keep reading...
iOS 26 on Three iPhones

iOS 27 Will Reportedly Have Two Key Upgrades

Sunday November 23, 2025 8:48 am PST by
iOS 27 will reportedly have two major elements: quality improvements and new AI features. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that iOS 27 will be similar to Mac OS X Snow Leopard, in the sense that Apple is focused on improving "quality and underlying performance" over adding new features. Gurman said there is one exception to this rule, though, as he expects...
apple news banner

Apple News Loses CNN

Monday November 24, 2025 7:56 am PST by
American multinational news company CNN has abruptly pulled its content from Apple News, Semafor reports. CNN quietly removed its stories from Apple News over the weekend and there is no longer a feed from the network to subscribe to in the app. This effectively ends its distribution agreement with Apple while the two sides negotiate new terms. Discussions are apparently ongoing and CNN's...
iPhone Pocket Short

iPhone Pocket is Now Completely Sold Out Worldwide

Tuesday November 25, 2025 7:16 am PST by
Apple recently teamed up with Japanese fashion brand ISSEY MIYAKE to create the iPhone Pocket, a limited-edition knitted accessory designed to carry an iPhone. However, it is now completely sold out in all countries where it was released. iPhone Pocket became available to order on Apple's online store starting Friday, November 14, in the United States, France, China, Italy, Japan, Singapore, ...

Top Rated Comments

MagicWok Avatar
166 months ago
I hear analysts say people at Apple are working on something that will be released sometime.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
adildacoolset Avatar
166 months ago
Hmm, will there be a bigger screen like it was rumored a while ago?

Then it wouldn't be a 5S, would it? Maybe Apple would in fact make the cheaper iPhone bigger. As it was mentioned, it can shut up all of those people crying that iPhones are expensive and small.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Popeye206 Avatar
166 months ago
Personally... I don't care what they do in China... if a cheaper iPhone helps them sell more... party on... but I hope they don't cheap'n themselves outside of these low-end markets.

Anyway... hardware is not the secret sauce anymore... really... tweek this, add that... it's all evolutionary changes for all the handset makers... Apple, Samsung, HTC and the rest.

What's Apple's secret sauce is their eco system and iOS. They could give us more cool and useful functions with iOS way more than with hardware changes. My iPhone 5 is a nice size... fast... good looking. Nothing to complain about.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iGrip Avatar
166 months ago

Apple really boxes themselves in (pun fully intended) with the shape of the iPhone.

It reminds me of the old DEVO song:

Cube top, squared off
Eight corners, 90-degree angles
Flat top, stares straight ahead
Stock parts, blockhead
If Apple were to adopt a more sinuous shape that felt nicer in the hand, then variations and improvements to the form factor would be easy. But so long as they stick to the "squared-off, eight corners, 90-degree angle" aesthetic of the i4 and the i5, there's nowhere to go.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
definitive Avatar
166 months ago
same rumor, different day...
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MacBookPro13" Avatar
166 months ago
I'm waiting for the 8th generation. My iPhone 5 should hold up nicely until then :)
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)