Kuo: Only iPhone 14 Pro Models to Get 'A16' Chip, Standard Models to Retain A15

Only the iPhone 14 Pro models will have the "A16" chip, while the standard ‌iPhone 14‌ models will retain the A15 Bionic chip from the iPhone 13, according to insightful Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

iPhone 14 Mock pill and hole thumb
In a tweet, Kuo said that the 6.1-inch "‌iPhone 14‌ Pro" and the 6.7-inch "‌iPhone 14‌ Pro Max" will get the A16 chip, while the 6.1-inch "‌iPhone 14‌" and the 6.7-inch "‌iPhone 14‌ Max" will retain the same A15 chip from the ‌iPhone‌ 13 lineup.

The two more affordable ‌iPhone‌ models retaining the same chip as the previous year could be a major new point of differentiation between the standard and "Pro" ‌iPhone‌ models. Going forward, it seems plausible that Apple could only offer a new chip with the "Pro" models, before it subsequently trickles down to the two cheaper ‌iPhone‌ models the following year.

Kuo added that all four of the ‌iPhone 14‌ models are likely to come with 6GB of memory, with the standard ‌iPhone 14‌ models having LPDDR 4X memory and the ‌iPhone 14‌ Pro models having LPDDR 5 memory.

Currently, the ‌iPhone‌ 13 mini and ‌iPhone‌ 13 feature 4GB of memory, while the ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro and ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro Max feature 6GB of memory. These amounts are unchanged from the iPhone 12 lineup. For the ‌iPhone 14‌ lineup, Kuo suggests that all models will feature 6GB of RAM, but the ‌iPhone 14‌ Pro and ‌iPhone 14‌ Pro Max's LPDDR 5 memory will be up to one and a half times faster and up to 30 percent more power efficient.

Kuo's claim stands in contrast to a rumor from Haitong International Securities' Jeff Pu, which suggested suggested the ‌iPhone 14‌ Pro models will feature 8GB of RAM, the same amount as the Samsung Galaxy S22 models. That being said, Pu has a mixed track record with Apple rumors. For example, he accurately claimed that 16-inch MacBook Pro and iPad Pro models with mini-LED displays would launch in 2021, but he was incorrect about HomePods with 3D sensing cameras launching in 2019. This may bring the 8GB RAM rumor into question now that Kuo, a more established analyst in the Apple space with a better track record, is claiming otherwise.

Related Roundup: iPhone 14
Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Thumb 1

'New' iPhone SE Product Listing Appears on French Website

Wednesday February 12, 2025 6:49 am PST by
As the wait continues for Apple's long-rumored, fourth-generation iPhone SE, French electronics retailer Boulanger has prematurely published a product listing for a "new" model of the iPhone SE. The placeholder page says the device is "coming soon," but it offers no further information, and the price shown is obviously not real. The listing was spotted by a reader of the French technology...
apple launch feb 2025

Tim Cook Teases an 'Apple Launch' Next Wednesday

Thursday February 13, 2025 8:07 am PST by
In a social media post today, Apple CEO Tim Cook teased an upcoming "launch" of some kind scheduled for Wednesday, February 19. "Get ready to meet the newest member of the family," he said, with an #AppleLaunch hashtag. The post includes a short video with an animated Apple logo inside a circle. Cook did not provide an exact time for the launch, or share any other specific details, so...
oppo find n5 fingers

World's Thinnest Foldable Phone Launches Next Week

Monday February 10, 2025 3:05 am PST by
Oppo has confirmed a February 20 global launch for its Find N5, which the company claims is the world's thinnest device in the foldable phone category. The phone is expected to be re-branded as the OnePlus Open 2 in the US. The Chinese vendor has been teasing the device in the last few weeks, touting its waterproofing and nearly invisible display crease, and highlighting its thinness by compa...
m2 macbook air blue

M4 MacBook Air Release Continues to Appear Imminent

Monday February 10, 2025 10:56 am PST by
There continue to be signs of a new MacBook Air with an M4 chip, indicating that we could see the machine launch in the not too distant future. A private account on X today shared the identifiers that the MacBook Air will use, and those identifiers correspond to the M4 chip. According to the source, both the 13-inch MacBook Air and the 15-inch MacBook Air will be equipped with Apple's...
watchOS 11 Thumb 2 1

Apple Releases watchOS 11.3.1

Monday February 10, 2025 10:04 am PST by
Apple today released watchOS 11.3.1, a minor update to the operating system that runs on the Apple Watch. watchOS 11.3.1 is compatible with the Apple Watch Series 6 and later, all Apple Watch Ultra models, and the Apple Watch SE 2. watchOS 11.3.1 can be downloaded by opening up the Apple Watch app and going to General > Software Update. To install the new software, the Apple Watch needs to...
sequoia

Apple Releases macOS Sequoia 15.3.1

Monday February 10, 2025 10:11 am PST by
Apple today released macOS Sequoia 15.3.1, a minor update to the macOS Sequoia operating system that came out last September. macOS 15.3.1 comes a few weeks after the launch of macOS Sequoia 15.3. Mac users can download the ‌‌‌macOS Sequoia‌‌‌ update through the Software Update section of System Settings. Apple has also released macOS 13.7.4 and macOS 14.7.4 for those who are...
Apple Ad on X

Apple Resumes Advertising on X

Wednesday February 12, 2025 2:18 pm PST by
Apple this month started advertising on X for the first time in more than a year. The company had stopped advertising on the social media platform in November 2023 following controversial remarks made by its owner Elon Musk. For example, the @Apple account is running an ad promoting Safari's privacy features. The ad was spotted by MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris. The @AppleTV account has a...
M4 mini Glowing Blue

Apple Begins Selling Refurbished M4 Macs

Wednesday February 12, 2025 11:35 am PST by
Apple today added MacBook Pro and Mac mini models with M4 series chips to its certified refurbished store in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Ireland for the first time since the computers were introduced in October 2024. Some refurbished MacBook Pro models with M4 chips are also available in Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, and select other European countries. ...
pixelmator pro apple acquisition complete

Apple Completes Pixelmator Acquisition

Tuesday February 11, 2025 9:34 am PST by
Pixelmator last year announced that it was being acquired by Apple, and today the company confirmed that the acquisition has been completed after Apple received regulatory approval. The Pixelmator for iOS, Pixelmator Pro, and Photomator apps were today updated with a new splash screen announcing the deal. Pixelmator is a well-known image and photo editing app that competes with Photoshop and ...

Top Rated Comments

Hartley Avatar
38 months ago

Because it’s not him. 9to5mac didn’t “confirm” anything. They didn’t talk to him and find out if it’s him. They didn’t investigate at all. They just assume it is.
We have contacted Ming-Chi Kuo at TF International Securities directly and can confirm that the @mingchikuo Twitter account is indeed him.
Score: 59 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cmaier Avatar
38 months ago

Apple, Please bring the M1 chip to the iPhone. You did it with iPad Air 5. Why not apply the M series chips to the iPhone?
Because the M1 adds no features to the A-series that are useful for a phone. And M1 would be slower and consume more power than an A16 on a phone.
Score: 41 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ThisBougieLife Avatar
38 months ago
Is it just me or have all of Ming-Chi Kuo’s rumors been really disappointing lately?

That’s how I know they’re probably true… :(
Score: 39 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cwwilson Avatar
38 months ago
Ever since this Kuo Twitter account showed up we've been seeing some wild stuff come up from him and I don't know if I like it.
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cmaier Avatar
38 months ago
It’s becoming more clear that this isn’t really Kuo on twitter.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Lounge vibes 05 Avatar
38 months ago
Nope.
We see this every single year.
We saw it with the iPhone 7S, which actually became the 8. All the rumors said that it would have an older processor than the X.
Same with the XR
And The mini series, they would get the older processor while all the big phones got the newer processors. It didn’t happen.
Apple has *never* introduced a new flagship iPhone with last years processor, except for the 5C which… was a failure.
All of the iPhones will have the A16 processor.
Especially if they’re getting rid of the mini, and the base price of the new iPhone *starts* at $799, with an $899 option.
Someone please get Quo off of twitter, he’s embarrassing himself.
First the new SE was supposed to have MM wave according to his Twitter account… and it didn’t.
Now it’s a new MacBook Air that’s according to him going to use a two year old chip, and an iPhone that’s going to get more expensive, but keep last year‘s processor, something that hasn’t been done since 2013.
Nope
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)