Kuo: Only iPhone 14 Pro Models to Get 'A16' Chip, Standard Models to Retain A15

Only the iPhone 14 Pro models will have the "A16" chip, while the standard ‌iPhone‌ 14 models will retain the A15 Bionic chip from the ‌iPhone‌ 13, according to insightful Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

iPhone 14 Mock pill and hole thumb
In a tweet, Kuo said that the 6.1-inch "‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro" and the 6.7-inch "‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro Max" will get the A16 chip, while the 6.1-inch "‌iPhone‌ 14" and the 6.7-inch "‌iPhone‌ 14 Max" will retain the same A15 chip from the ‌iPhone‌ 13 lineup.

The two more affordable ‌iPhone‌ models retaining the same chip as the previous year could be a major new point of differentiation between the standard and "Pro" ‌iPhone‌ models. Going forward, it seems plausible that Apple could only offer a new chip with the "Pro" models, before it subsequently trickles down to the two cheaper ‌iPhone‌ models the following year.

Kuo added that all four of the ‌iPhone‌ 14 models are likely to come with 6GB of memory, with the standard ‌iPhone‌ 14 models having LPDDR 4X memory and the ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro models having LPDDR 5 memory.

Currently, the ‌iPhone‌ 13 mini and ‌iPhone‌ 13 feature 4GB of memory, while the ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro and ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro Max feature 6GB of memory. These amounts are unchanged from the iPhone 12 lineup. For the ‌iPhone‌ 14 lineup, Kuo suggests that all models will feature 6GB of RAM, but the ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro and ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro Max's LPDDR 5 memory will be up to one and a half times faster and up to 30 percent more power efficient.

Kuo's claim stands in contrast to a rumor from Haitong International Securities' Jeff Pu, which suggested suggested the ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro models will feature 8GB of RAM, the same amount as the Samsung Galaxy S22 models. That being said, Pu has a mixed track record with Apple rumors. For example, he accurately claimed that 16-inch MacBook Pro and iPad Pro models with mini-LED displays would launch in 2021, but he was incorrect about HomePods with 3D sensing cameras launching in 2019. This may bring the 8GB RAM rumor into question now that Kuo, a more established analyst in the Apple space with a better track record, is claiming otherwise.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, and AirPods 4

Thursday November 13, 2025 11:35 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3, the AirPods 4, and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 firmware is 8B21, all up from the prior 8A358 firmware released in October. There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 4 with ANC, and AirPods Pro 3...
CarPlay Pinned Messages

iOS 26.2 Adds New CarPlay Setting

Thursday November 13, 2025 6:48 am PST by
iOS 26 extended pinned conversations in the Messages app to CarPlay, for quick access to your most frequent chats. However, some drivers may prefer the classic view with a list of individual conversations only, and Apple now lets users choose. Apple released the second beta of iOS 26.2 this week, and it introduces a new CarPlay setting for turning off pinned conversations in the Messages...
Tesla Charging

Tesla Working to Add Apple CarPlay Support to Vehicles

Thursday November 13, 2025 8:31 am PST by
Tesla is working to add support for Apple CarPlay in its vehicles, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. Tesla vehicles rely on its own infotainment software system, which integrates vehicle functions, navigation, music, web browsing, and more. The automaker has been an outlier in foregoing support for Apple CarPlay, which has otherwise become an industry standard feature, allowing users to...
tvOS 26 Profiles

tvOS 26.2 Adds a Useful New Feature to Your Apple TV

Friday November 14, 2025 10:02 am PST by
Starting with the upcoming tvOS 26.2 update, currently in beta, additional profiles created on the Apple TV no longer require their own Apple Account. In the Settings app on the Apple TV, under Profiles and Accounts, anyone can create a new profile by simply entering a name and indicating whether the profile is for a kid. The profile will be associated with the primary user's Apple Account,...
iPhone Pocket Short

iPhone Pocket Now Available to Order, But Already Selling Out

Friday November 14, 2025 6:20 am PST by
Apple recently teamed up with Japanese fashion brand ISSEY MIYAKE to create the iPhone Pocket, a limited-edition knitted accessory designed to carry an iPhone. iPhone Pocket is available to order on Apple's online store starting today, in the United States, France, China, Italy, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and the United Kingdom. However, it is already completely sold out in the United...
homepod mini thumb feature

New HomePod Mini, Apple TV, and AirTag Were Expected This Year — Where Are They?

Wednesday November 12, 2025 11:42 am PST by
While it was rumored that Apple planned to release new versions of the HomePod mini, Apple TV, and AirTag this year, it is no longer clear if that will still happen. Back in January, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple planned to release new HomePod mini and Apple TV models "toward the end of the year," while he at one point expected a new AirTag to launch "around the middle of 2025." Yet,...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Available Next Month With These 8 New Features

Tuesday November 11, 2025 9:48 am PST by
Apple released the first iOS 26.2 beta last week. The upcoming update includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, including a new Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics in Apple Music, and more. In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 26.2 will be released to all users in December, but it did not provide a specific release date....
m1 chip slide

Five Years of Apple Silicon: M1 to M5 Performance Comparison

Monday November 10, 2025 1:08 pm PST by
Today marks the fifth anniversary of the Apple silicon chip that replaced Intel chips in Apple's Mac lineup. The first Apple silicon chip, the M1, was unveiled on November 10, 2020. The M1 debuted in the MacBook Air, Mac mini, and 13-inch MacBook Pro. The M1 chip was impressive when it launched, featuring the "world's fastest CPU core" and industry-leading performance per watt, and it's only ...
iOS 26

Everything New in iOS 26.2 Beta 2

Wednesday November 12, 2025 3:29 pm PST by
Apple today provided developers with the second beta of iOS 26.2, which adds a few new features worth knowing about. Measure App Apple's Measure app now features a Liquid Glass design for the level, with two Liquid Glass bubbles instead of white circles. Games App There's now an option to sort games in the Games app Library by size, in addition to Name and Recent. CarPlay The...
walmart new ornametns

Walmart Black Friday Deals Begin Today With Low Prices on Headphones, TVs, and More

Friday November 14, 2025 7:55 am PST by
Walmart's Black Friday sale has officially kicked off today, with an online shopping event that's also seeing some matching deals in retail locations. There are quite a few major discounts in this sale, including savings on headphones, TVs, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Walmart. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us...

Top Rated Comments

Hartley Avatar
48 months ago

Because it’s not him. 9to5mac didn’t “confirm” anything. They didn’t talk to him and find out if it’s him. They didn’t investigate at all. They just assume it is.
We have contacted Ming-Chi Kuo at TF International Securities directly and can confirm that the @mingchikuo Twitter account is indeed him.
Score: 59 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cmaier Avatar
48 months ago

Apple, Please bring the M1 chip to the iPhone. You did it with iPad Air 5. Why not apply the M series chips to the iPhone?
Because the M1 adds no features to the A-series that are useful for a phone. And M1 would be slower and consume more power than an A16 on a phone.
Score: 41 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ThisBougieLife Avatar
48 months ago
Is it just me or have all of Ming-Chi Kuo’s rumors been really disappointing lately?

That’s how I know they’re probably true… :(
Score: 39 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cwwilson Avatar
48 months ago
Ever since this Kuo Twitter account showed up we've been seeing some wild stuff come up from him and I don't know if I like it.
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cmaier Avatar
48 months ago
It’s becoming more clear that this isn’t really Kuo on twitter.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Lounge vibes 05 Avatar
48 months ago
Nope.
We see this every single year.
We saw it with the iPhone 7S, which actually became the 8. All the rumors said that it would have an older processor than the X.
Same with the XR
And The mini series, they would get the older processor while all the big phones got the newer processors. It didn’t happen.
Apple has *never* introduced a new flagship iPhone with last years processor, except for the 5C which… was a failure.
All of the iPhones will have the A16 processor.
Especially if they’re getting rid of the mini, and the base price of the new iPhone *starts* at $799, with an $899 option.
Someone please get Quo off of twitter, he’s embarrassing himself.
First the new SE was supposed to have MM wave according to his Twitter account… and it didn’t.
Now it’s a new MacBook Air that’s according to him going to use a two year old chip, and an iPhone that’s going to get more expensive, but keep last year‘s processor, something that hasn’t been done since 2013.
Nope
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)