Next 4-inch iPhone to be based on the 5s
Ever since Apple decided to join its competitors in selling devices larger than 4 inches, we've heard countless rumors saying that the Cupertino company hasn't totally given up on the smaller form-factor. New 4-inch iPhones have been "imminent" quite a few times already, but none of those things actually managed to pan out.
Today we're already at the second rumor about the next small Apple smartphone. A few hours ago we heard that an iPhone 6c was on track for release in 2016, but now a new report seems to contradict that.
First off, it says that there will be a new 4" iPhone, yes, but it will be based on the iPhone 5s(pictured above) and not the 5c. The design of this new device should thus be extremely close to that of the iPhone 5s, while featuring some updated internals.
We can allegedly expect to see the A8 chipset in there, along with an improved FaceTime HD camera with f/2.2 aperture, and support for both 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.1. Those are all the hardware details we have for now, but one thing that will be missing will be 3D Touch, which will remain exclusive to the bigger iPhones.
It is claimed that this smaller product is ready for production and can be launched very soon if Apple doesn't change its mind about it in the meantime. If certain past rumors are true, then this upgraded iPhone 5s should see the light of day in the first half of 2016.
HTC One M9s launched, yet another One
HTC’s One-series just got even more confusing to the prospective buyer. The One M9s has been launched in Taiwan with proper One M9 looks and a few notable changes in hardware.
The new model comes with a 5-inch FullHD LCD display, much like its namesake. One of the chief differences between the two is the Mediatek Helio X10 chip, but it’s not exactly a first for the company - it can be found in a lot of this year’s Ones.
Budget cuts can quickly be spotted once you go further down the specsheet. Similar to theOne E9 and E9s, the One M9s comes with just 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. The smartphone does take microSD cards for expansion by up to 2TB, though such cards are less common than unicorns.
The primary camera is a blend of existing models too. On the one hand it uses a 13MP sensor, like the two E models above, but adds optical image stabilization, so far only found on the Supreme Camera edition of the M9+ - quite logical, right?
Other than that, the rear cam has a 27.8mm-equivalent lens with an f/2.0 aperture and a sapphire crystal front element. The front shooter is the familiar UltraPixel affair with 4MP resolution and an f/2.0 26.8mm-equivalent lens.
The HTC One M9s comes in virtually the same all-metal unibody as the non-S One M9 and measures 144.6 x 69.7 x 9.6mm. Oddly enough, at 158g it weighs a gram more. Battery capacity is the same at 2,840mAh.
The smartphone comes with the usual wide range of connectivity options including quad-band 2G/3G and LTE over a multitude of bands. There’s Bluetooth v4.1, dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, NFC and GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS and Beidou.
The smartphone can be pre-ordered right now in Taiwan for TWD 12,900 ($390) and it’ll start shipping on November 21. There’s no word on worldwide availability.
