Rumored iPhone 6C Packs 2GB RAM And 1642mAh Battery, Production Ramps Next Month For Q1 Launch

All signs are pointing towards Apple releasing a new iPhone early next year. Rather than Apple breaking with tradition to make an early announcement of an iPhone 7, the company is expected to introduce a new entry-level smartphone: the iPhone 6C.

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo previously stated that the iPhone 6C will largely look like a slightly redesigned iPhone 5S that incorporates the 2.5D glass from the iPhone 6S/iPhone 6S Plus. The iPhone 6C is also said to incorporate an A9 processor, Touch ID and an NFC chip (for Apple Pay).

More clarity is being added to the iPhone 6C thanks to a new report making the rounds this week. MyDrivers is indicating that the A9 processor will come paired with 2GB of RAM, equaling that of the aforementioned iPhone 6S. What isn’t mentioned is whether the A9 processor used in the iPhone 6C will be underclocked to preserve battery life and keep it from challenging its bigger brothers in the performance arena (the A9 in the iPhone 6S is clocked at 1.85GHz).

Speaking of the battery, the iPhone 6C will reportedly come equipped with a 1642mAh battery, which is a slight increase over the 1570mAh battery found in the still available iPhone 5S. For comparison, the 4.7-inch iPhone 6S and 5.5-inch iPhone 6S Plus feature 1715mAh and 2750mAh batteries respectively.

It’s also being reported that the 4-inch display won’t get a boost in resolution. That means that you’ll still be faced with the meager 1,136x640 resolution first introduced with the iPhone 5 in 2012. Apple is also holding the line on the camera, with both the rear- and front-facing cameras expected to be carryover items from the iPhone 5S to help keep costs down. And considering that this is a new entry-level device, it’s expected to come with 16GB of internal storage standard.

There’s been a lot of talk surrounding the possibility that the iPhone 7 will be the first Apple smartphone to ditch the 3.5mm audio jack in favor of Lightning audio. But we wouldn’t be too shocked if Apple surprises us all by taking the plunge first with the iPhone 6C.

The big question surrounding the iPhone 6C is with respect to pricing. The current iPhone 5S is priced at $450 off-contract, while stepping up to last year’s iPhone 6 will set you back $549. The current generation iPhone 6S starts at $649. Even if the iPhone 6C were to adopt the $450 price point of the iPhone 5S, it would still be on the pricier side for an entry-level device, at least compared to the value-laded (and quite competent) smartphones running Android (i.e. OnePlus X, Nexus 5X).

The iPhone 6C is expected to begin production in January in preparation for a late Q1 launch.