Technology

Beloved iPhone model ‘is being killed off THIS year’ – and it’s bad news for millions

APPLE is set to kill off a key iPhone model this year, according to insiders.

The tech giant is set to release as many as four new iPhone 14 models – but an iconic variant may be shunned.

AppleThe iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini seen side by side[/caption]

For the past two years, Apple has pushed roughly the same line-up of iPhones.

There was the iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max.

Then late last year, we got the iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max.

But this year, it’s rumoured that the iPhone 14 mini will be a no-show.

Instead, it will be replaced with a “Max” version of the regular iPhone 14.

So the overall line-up would look like this:

iPhone 14iPhone 14 MaxiPhone 14 ProiPhone 14 Pro Max

Several key analysts and leakers have suggested this new line-up.

That includes Apple expert and industry watcher Jeff Pu, who said we can expect these four models with no mini variant in an investor note seen by MacRumors.

The same line-up has been shared by TF Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Apple’s iPhone 12 mini and 13 mini models were smaller versions of the regular iPhone 12 and 13 respectively.

The idea was that some people wanted to the premium performance of an iPhone, but with a smaller screen size.

Complaints that smartphones are too big now regularly crop up online – with users often saying that big iPhones are unsuitable for small hands.

Many hailed the launch of the Mini phones, praising Apple for catering for people who prefer smaller handsets.

But Apple was reportedly plagued by poor sales for its Mini models, and is expected to ditch the variant.

Instead, we’re expecting the iPhone 14 to come in medium and large, rather than small and medium.

And we’re still likely to see a supersize version of the iPhone 14 Pro called the iPhone 14 Pro Max.

Apple hasn’t publicly confirmed plans to ditch the Mini brand however.

And it’s possible that plans may change by September, when the smartphone quartet is due to launch.

We won’t know the truth until the September launch event.

What’s new?

All four new iPhone 14 models are expected to feature ProMotion displays.

Currently these high 120Hz refresh rate screens only appear on Pro models.

They make for smoother animations and scrolling, and are generally better for gaming.

All four models are tipped to feature 6GB of RAM, which is an increase for the lower-end iPhone models.

And the Pro handsets are expected to feature an upgraded 48-megapixel camera on the back of the device.

Finally, the iPhone 14 Pro models are tipped to start at 256GB of storage, up from 128GB.

At the very least, a line-up of four iPhones, all featuring 5G and more powerful chips seems all but certain.

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