Apple "returning to 4-inch phones"

PanARMENIAN.Net - It's been all quiet on the iPhone 6C front since the rumoured handset failed to material alongside the 6S in September, but one analyst reckons Apple is still planning to revisit 4-inch smartphones, Digital Spy reports.

KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has a solid track record when it comes to predicting the company's plans, believes that the long-awaited successor to the iPhone 5C is on course for 2016.

The industry expert also told AppleInsider not to expect another plastic-backed device - the iPhone 6C is said to come with a full metal jacket, despite selling for less than the flagship models.

Kuo has tipped the new 4-inch iPhone to pack the same A9 SoC processor as the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus, which will be around one year old by the time the device launches.

Mass production will purportedly begin in the first half of 2016, which could put the 6C on course to arrive alongside the iPhone 7 later in the year.

Although this could be little more than educated guesswork by Kuo, it's worth pointing out that he was spot on when it came to forecasting Apple's plans to launch a larger iPad.