Skip to content
The iPhone 6 Plus is not a small phone by any stretch of the imagination.

Apple abandoned plans to release a smaller ‘iPhone 6C’

Apple has reportedly ditched plans to release the rumored ‘iPhone 6C,’ which would have been the first 4-inch iPhone for two years.

Analyst Timothy Arcuri revealed to Business Insider that despite evidence Apple was considering a new iPhone model, the plans didn’t make it past development. Arcuri says that information from “supply chain research” and other sources suggested Apple was on track to release a budget iPhone model this year alongside the expected ‘S’ versions of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, but the company has since hit the brakes on the idea.

Since Apple released a cut-down iPhone 5C in 2013, there have been suggestions the company would follow a similar trajectory this year. The handset it was considering would have incorporated the power and design of the iPhone 6 into the smaller size of the iPhone 5, and could have provided a cheaper alternative to the more powerful phones expected this Fall.

An iPhone 6C with a 4-inch screen could also offer Apple fans who aren’t a fan of the bigger screens of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus (4.7-inch and 5.5-inch respectively) a chance to upgrade without compromising on their preference for smaller handsets. Those holding off upgrading from an iPhone 5 or 5S for that reason may be disappointed by news that the smaller option is unlikely to come to fruition.

Arcuri speculates that Apple doesn’t want to “cannibalize” the sales of the existing iPhone 6 with a cheaper model, after the phone sold incredibly well since its release last year.

Remember that none of this is official and until Apple announce its new iPhone lineup (most likely in September), we won’t know for sure what it’s planning. But it looks unlikely we’ll be seeing three new phones this year – maybe next time?

Read more: iPhone 6S rumored to be thicker than iPhone 6