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Exclusive: iPhone 14 coming in four models without ‘mini’ version, Pro models with taller screen, satellite features advancing

Apple has just released new iPhone 13 models, but the company has already been working on iPhone 14. While 9to5Mac sources corroborated a report about the new models having different chips, we also learned that the iPhone 14 Pro models may have a taller screen due to the new design and that Apple has still been working on satellite features.

iPhone 14 details

Early iPhone 14 rumors suggested that Apple’s smartphone lineup in 2022 will have four new models but this time without a “mini” version. According to our sources, the new iPhone 14 (codenamed D27 and D28) will be available in 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch versions, and the current 5.4-inch iPhone mini form-factor will be discontinued.

These mid-range phones will have the same display resolution as the current iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max. However, the display on the flagships iPhones 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max (codenamed D73 and D74) may be slightly taller to accommodate the new “notch + pill” design that will replace the notch.

As for the chip situation, 9to5Mac’s sources confirm that there will be two new iPhone 14 models based on the A15 chip, while two others will have a brand new chip. It’s worth noting that Apple currently has two different versions of the A15 chip, one of which has an extra GPU core and 6GB of RAM (used in 13 Pro models).

Apple could use the high-end version of its A15 Bionic chip in the entry-level iPhone 14 models, as 9to5Mac also heard from our own sources that all this year’s iPhones will have 6GB of RAM. The company could even rebrand the chip as “A15X,” as it has done in the past with the 2020 iPad Pro’s A12Z chip – which is essentially the A12X chip with an extra GPU core.

As another example, the Apple Watch Series 7 has the same CPU as the Apple Watch Series 6, but the chips are named “Apple S6” and “Apple S7” due to minor internal changes that have been made to the SoC.

Satellite features

A few weeks before the iPhone 13 announcement, some reports suggested that Apple had been working on satellite communication features for upcoming iPhone models. Although these features were never added to the iPhone 13 lineup, 9to5Mac’s sources told us that Apple is still working on satellite communication for iPhone.

It’s unclear whether the technology will be ready for this year’s iPhone, but the company has been testing prototypes that are capable of sending text messages over satellite. That system is internally known by the codename “Stewie.”

Both iPhone 14 and 14 Pro are expected to be introduced this fall. Be sure to check out our guide with everything we know so far about Apple’s next generation smartphone.

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Avatar for Filipe Espósito Filipe Espósito

Filipe Espósito is a Brazilian tech Journalist who started covering Apple news on iHelp BR with some exclusive scoops — including the reveal of the new Apple Watch Series 5 models in titanium and ceramic. He joined 9to5Mac to share even more tech news around the world.