An iPhone for all?

It looks like the iPhone release expected this September won’t be all about the highly anticipated iPhone 5S (or perhaps iPhone 6). A recent report has suggested that a lower end model will be released alongside the updated smartphone, with a price tag in the sub-$400 (circa £260) range.

Early rumours suggest that the ‘budget’ iPhone will not have the retina display that comes as standard on new iPhone models, and it will have plastic casing rather than the traditional glass.

In recent years, updated iPhone models have brought less and less to the table, with a Samsung Galaxy SIII advert released in September 2012 joking about the mediocre upgrades that came with the iPhone 5.

A cheaper iPhone may attract a market who are currently unwilling to pay the £529 price tag for one of the smartphones.

“The iPhone upgrades when my last contract was up were more than I wanted to spend,” said second year history of art student Ellen Doggett. “But I am planning on getting one when I upgrade.”

Others are happy with the quality of the iPhone and believe that the price is justified.

“They’re the highest build quality, most intuitive and most stylish smart phone I’ve ever seen or used,” said Julian Regan, second year physics student. “Other smartphones are trying to copy Apple’s formula in my opinion, and are never going to be as good. A bit like a sequel to an awesome movie.”

The cheaper iPhone could be a step in the right direction for Apple. Early analysis is estimating that the lower end model could contribute $22 billion worth of revenue for the company.

Although development of the iPhone 5S/6 is still in very early stages, it is believed that a faster processor and better camera will be part of the package. Whether or not this will be enough to get people to upgrade just a year after the release of the iPhone 5 remains to be seen.