Shocking update for iPhone fans! No upgrades for iPhone 15?

The iPhone 14 is just a few weeks old and leaks have already started pouring in for the iPhone 15. Notably, for the first time, Apple has delivered different chipset generations in the iPhone 14 series with the iPhone 14 Pro models getting the latest chip and the plain vanilla iPhone 14 getting last year's chip. For instance, the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max got the previous year's A15 Bionic chipset, while the Pro variants got the new A16 Bionic chipset. Now, this latest leak suggests the same is likely to happen to iPhone 15!

A new report from Nikkei Asia hints that Apple is planning to limit the next-generation A17 chip to the top models of the iPhone 15 range. That means only the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max are expected to get the new chip. "The A17 mobile processor currently under development will be mass-produced using TSMC's N3E chipmaking tech, expected to be available in the second half of next year," Nikkei Asia quoted three people familiar with the matter.

So, next year’s iPhone 15 range could mark the second year in a row that Apple uses the most advanced chipmaking technology for only the premium part of its iPhone lineup. “Apple, meanwhile, is likely to use the different levels of production tech to introduce greater differences between its premium and non-premium models. Previously the biggest differences have been in screens and cameras, but this could be expanded to include processors and memory chips,” Dylan Patel, chief analyst with Semianalysis told Nikkei Asia.

More gap between iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro?

The same has been echoed earlier by Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who also suggested that iPhone 15 Pro Max variant will be called Ultra in order to create more differentiation between iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 standard models to increase premium shipment allocation. He says, “it's the best practice via a precise product segmentation strategy to generate more sales/profits in a mature market.”