Well-known and reputable KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo on Tuesday shared his predictions for Apple’s 2016 iPhones in a note with investors. According to Kuo, in addition to the company’s usual September launch of new iPhones, Apple intends to release an all-metal 4-inch iPhone during the first half of 2016.

All-metal 4-inch iPhone to sport A9 chip, no 3D Touch

Kuo claimed that Apple’s 2016 4-inch iPhone “resembles an upgraded iPhone 5s” (pictured above) and will come equipped with the A9 processor introduced in this year’s iPhone 6s and 6s Plus. Unlike its predecessor, the iPhone 5c that has a plastic casing, Kuo said that the new 4-inch iPhone will sport an all-metal casing like that found on the high-end iPhones.

Disappointingly, Kuo said the new 4-inch iPhone will lack 3D Touch support in an attempt to differentiate the entry-level device from the recently launch iPhone 6s and 6 Plus. Despite this, Kuo thinks that demand for a new 4-inch iPhone will be high: he estimates, following a launch during the first half of 2016, Apple will ship up to 30 million 4-inch iPhones by the end of 2016.

iPhone 7 Plus with 3GB of RAM, A10 chip

Kuo believes Apple will stick to its traditional September release date for its 2016 iPhone range, likely to be dubbed the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus.

According to Kuo, both the 4.7-inch iPhone 7 and 5.5-inch 7 Plus will feature Apple’s next-gen A10 chip but, unlike previous iPhones, the iPhone 7 Plus will ship with 3GB of RAM while the iPhone 7 will stick with the 2GB found on both current iPhone models.

iPhone 7 design changes

Kuo did not share details on possible design changes coming to the next iPhones but, in a note to investors last month, renowned Piper Jaffray’s analyst, Gene Munster claimed that the 2016 iPhone 7 will get a complete design overhaul. Specifically, Munster said that Apple may do away with the Home button, increase the screen size, improve the battery life, and finally switch to sapphire for the screen.

Image credit: Kārlis Dambrāns, Flickr