iPhone 5 and Budget iPhone 4 to Launch in China in October?

161832 iphone 4 in hand

AllThingsD summarizes a Chinese language report that originally appeared at Sohu.com.

The original report claimed that China Telecom had reached a preliminary agreement with Apple to begin selling two new versions of the iPhone before the end of October.

“According to Sohu.com, China Telecom will offer two types of iPhone that include the iPhone 5 and a ‘simplified iPhone 4,’” says White. “Essentially, this potential ‘simplified iPhone 4′ would be a more economical version of iPhone to target a broader customer base in developing countries such as China, allowing for an expanded market opportunity.”

The report claims there will be two new iPhones: the iPhone 5 and a "simplified" iPhone 4. The simplified iPhone 4 is expected to be a cheaper version of the current iPhone to target the low-end market. While there have been multiple reports that China Telecom will be selling the iPhone later this year, this is the first that specifies the types of models that the carrier will be selling.

This isn't the first time we've heard suggestion that Apple will be launching a lower cost iPhone 4. Previous claims have included a move to cheaper components to reduce the cost of the device. Meanwhile, other claims have suggested that Apple might keep the iPhone 3GS around as a free with contract option. It's important to note that the Chinese market is quite unique from the rest of the iPhone market, and it may get its own distinct models. Apple originally sold Wi-Fi disabled iPhones in China.

Popular Stories

Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock Light

iOS 19 Leak Reveals All-New Design

Friday January 17, 2025 2:42 pm PST by
iOS 19 is still around six months away from being announced, but a new leak has allegedly revealed a completely redesigned Camera app. Based on footage it obtained, YouTube channel Front Page Tech shared a video showing what the new Camera app will apparently look like, with the key change being translucent menus for camera controls. Overall, the design of these menus looks similar to...
2024 App Store Awards

Apple Explains Why It Removed TikTok From the App Store in the U.S.

Sunday January 19, 2025 6:58 am PST by
Apple on late Saturday removed TikTok from the App Store in the U.S., and it has now explained why it was required to take this action. Last year, the U.S. passed a law that required Chinese company ByteDance to divest its ownership of TikTok due to potential national security risks, or else the platform would be banned. That law went into effect today, and companies like Apple and Google...
iPhone 17 Air Size Feature

'iPhone 17 Air' With Rear Camera Bar Allegedly Shown in Leaked Photo

Tuesday January 21, 2025 12:46 pm PST by
A leaker known as "Majin Bu" today shared an alleged image of a component for the rumored, ultra-thin "iPhone 17 Air" model. The blurry, pixelated image shows a pair of rear iPhone shells with a pill-shaped, raised camera bar along the top. On the left side of the bar, there is a circular cutout that appears to be for a single rear camera. On the right side of the bar, there appears to be an ...
iPhone SE Dynamic Island Majin Bu

iPhone SE 4 Leak Shows Dynamic Island, Casts Doubt on Rumored 'iPhone 16E' Name

Monday January 20, 2025 9:01 am PST by
A new iPhone SE is widely rumored to launch this year, and the device has potentially been confirmed today by known leaker Evan Blass. In a private social media post, Blass shared an image of what appears to be source code mentioning an iPhone SE (4th Gen), which casts doubt on the alternative "iPhone 16E" name rumored for the device. However, the name in the source code could be a...
iOS 19 Roundup Feature

iOS 19 Rumored to Be Compatible With These iPhones

Saturday January 18, 2025 10:28 am PST by
iOS 19 will not drop support for any iPhone models, according to French website iPhoneSoft.fr. The report cited a source who said iOS 19 will be compatible with any iPhone that can run iOS 18, which would mean the following models: iPhone 16 iPhone 16 Plus iPhone 16 Pro iPhone 16 Pro Max iPhone 15 iPhone 15 Plus iPhone 15 Pro iPhone 15 Pro Max iPhone 14 iPhon...
airtag 4 pack blue

AirTag 2 Launching This Year With These 3 New Features

Sunday January 19, 2025 8:11 am PST by
After a four-year wait, a new AirTag is finally expected to launch in 2025. Below, we recap rumored upgrades for the accessory. A few months ago, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple was aiming to release the AirTag 2 around the middle of 2025. While he did not offer a more specific timeframe, that means the AirTag 2 could be announced by the end of June. The original AirTag was announced...
apple power beats pro 2

Powerbeats Pro 2 Coming Soon: Apple to Announce Them 'Imminently'

Sunday January 19, 2025 8:25 am PST by
In September, Apple said that it would be launching Powerbeats Pro 2 in 2025, and it appears the wireless earbuds are coming very soon. Powerbeats Pro 2 images found in iOS 18 code In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the Powerbeats Pro 2 are "due imminently." In addition to Apple filing the Powerbeats Pro 2 in regulatory databases last month, Gurman said Apple is...
Generic iOS 18

Everything New in iOS 18.3 Beta 3

Thursday January 16, 2025 12:39 pm PST by
Apple provided the third beta of iOS 18.3 to developers today, and while the betas have so far been light on new features, the third beta makes some major changes to Notification Summaries and also tweaks a few other features. Notification Summary Changes Apple made multiple changes to Notification Summaries in response to complaints about inaccurate summaries of news headlines. For...

Top Rated Comments

BBCWatcher Avatar
176 months ago
Budget iPhone 4

The "budget" iPhone 4 could simply be an iPhone 4 with 8GB of flash, which is what Apple has done with the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G before. Maybe (maybe) Apple would also put the iPod touch non-IPS screen into the 8GB iPhone 4. But I wouldn't expect any more redesign than those two changes.

And you know what? An 8GB IPS-less iPhone 4 would be a damn fine smartphone.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
baryon Avatar
176 months ago
The 3GS is already a budget iPhone 4, isn't it? I mean, it's slower, has less RAM, less sensors and less cameras and no flash. How much more budget should it be?
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
xFenixKnightx Avatar
176 months ago
Was wondering when the next iPhone 5 rumor was coming. :p

This one is old though. We really need a drunk Apple employee at a bar right about now because I just wanna see the damn thing already. Will it really be larger in size like rumored? Will it have a larger screen? Will it have a glass back? Will it have LTE 4G since it is larger? Most importantly, will it blend? I want answers!!!
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kyjaotkb Avatar
176 months ago
Available at your local Apple Stoer ?

IFone 4 Lite for everyone !
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sionharris Avatar
176 months ago
The 3GS is already a budget iPhone 4, isn't it? I mean, it's slower, has less RAM, less sensors and less cameras and no flash. How much more budget should it be?
less RAM, fewer sensors, fewer cameras
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HeedJSU Avatar
176 months ago

It's important to note that the Chinese market is quite unique from the rest of the iPhone market, and it may its own distinct models.

Alright. Got the first one fixed, but this sentence still doesn't make sense?

:D:D
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)