More rumors surface on new 4-inch iPhone with A9 SoC and Apple Pay

Rumors of a potential 4-inch iPhone began as early as last month when analysts claimed that Apple is looking to refresh its older models with a brand new A9 SoC. Now, KGI Securities has confirmed the details and is even suggesting that the 4-inch model will have NFC for Apple Pay functionality.

According to the analysts, the 4-inch iPhone will retail for $400 to $500 USD and be available by March or April of 2016 at the earliest. KGI Securities is predicting a production scale of approximately 20 million units.

The 4-inch iPhone is expected to be a heavily reworked iPhone 5S. Market observers believe that the new model may sport 2.5D glass similar to many Chinese-branded smartphones or at least a curved front similar to the iPhone 6 or iPhone 6S. Colors options should be the standard Silver, Gray, and Gold.

Since its introduction a year ago, the adoption rate of Apple's contact-less payment system has been stagnant. A smaller and more affordable iPhone could be the key to making the system more widespread and ubiquitous.

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