iPhone 5 May Pack A6 CPU, 1GB RAM, Says J.P. Morgan

J.P. Morgan analyst Mark Moskowitz has issued a research note today telling investors to anticipate two iPhone announcements from Apple, one of which consists of a low-cost version of the iPhone 4, which Moskovitz dubs "iPhone 4-Plus".

Weighing in on the lower-specced device, Moskovitz says it’s “based on the current iPhone 4 but with some minor improvements." The handset "could target the midrange and focus on China,” the analyst wrote.

However, while Apple will have a great deal of focus on the Asian country, given the growth it has experienced there in the past year, it is unlikely that this phone will be exclusive to the region, according to the Financial Post report quoting Moskovitz.

The J.P. Morgan analyst said the current-generation iPhone (the fourth-gen handset), for its part, will replace the iPhone 3GS as an entry-level offering, as is tradition at Apple.

On the iPhone 5, his forecast goes as follows:

“The new iPhone 5 stands to be based on the iPad 2′s A5 processor or a newer A6 version. We also expect 1GB of RAM to increase memory access times. Other improvements are increased battery life due to advancement in battery technologies, the printed circuit board (PCB), the touch screen, and LCD power consumption metrics.”

It only makes sense for Apple to double the RAM in its next iPhone, given how software continuously evolves both function-wise, and in terms of graphical output.

The part with the A6 CPU, however, is a tad harder to believe. It is not immediately clear where Mr. Moskovitz draws the conclusion that Apple could skip an A-series generation with the introduction of the iPhone 5.

Unless, of course, the A5 (currently found in the Apple iPad 2) is to be soldered onto the logic board of an iPhone 4S, or iPhone 4-Plus as the analyst calls it.

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