Rumor: Apple has three different iPhones in the works for 2016

We haven’t even heard anything official about the iPhone 6s yet, but rumors about next year’s iPhone 7 are already popping up. According to a new report out of Asia, Apple is planning to release a third smartphone alongside the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus next year, one which will feature a 4-inch display and a completely different design. This third device will supposedly be known as the “iPhone 7c” and will launch at the same time as the other two. 

It looks like Apple has a few tricks up its sleeve for 2016. According to a new report out of the Far East, the company has plans to launch a new, completely redesigned iPhone next year — and it won’t be the iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus we’re all expecting. Rumors earlier this year said Apple will have three new versions of the iPhone 6s in stores this year, including new 4-inch, 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch devices. However, sources familiar with Apple’s plans repeatedly said that Apple will only release iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus successors in 2015. According to the Economic Daily News, AUO has inked a deal with Apple to supply 4-inch displays for an upcoming “iPhone 7c.” The company will ship the screens starting in the first quarter of 2016, which would suggest that Apple plans to release the iPhone 7c alongside the other two iPhone 7 models later in the year. A report in April said that AUO was on the verge of signing an agreement with Apple to supply iPhone screens of different sizes, including 4-inch units, but the supplier wasn’t likely to provide iPhone parts earlier than 2016.