Apple’s cheap iPhone said to have 4-inch display & plastic case in multiple colors

Let’s face it, that last budget iPhone rumor hinting at a 4.5-inch screen never really made much sense.

After all, why would Apple introduce a significant upgrade in a device that’s supposed to be as inexpensive as possible?

Now KGI Securities Ming-Chi Kuo has another look at Apple’s potential budget iPhone, which falls more in line with what we’d expect, reports MacRumors. Unlike the Japan-based sources from the 4.5-inch budget iPhone rumor, Kuo has been more reliable when it comes to upcoming Apple news.

In addition to the 4-inch screen, the same as Apple’s current iPhone 5, Kuo notes that the cheap iPhone’s case will be a “super-thin plastic casing mixed with glass fiber.” The case is expected to be about half as thick as current plastic cases, between 0.4 and 0.6 millimeters.

We’ve been hearing about a cheap iPhone with a plastic case for some time now, but this is the first time glass fiber has been mentioned. It means we’ll see something completely different from the plastic cases in the iPhone 3G and 3GS.

Additionally, Kuo expects Apple to offer between four and six color options for its cheap iPhone, including the current black and white colors. This would be similar to how Apple offers different colored iPod options — it’s honestly surprising it’s taken Apple so long to offer more iPhone colors.

When it comes to the next flagship iPhone, Kuo (like everyone else in the tech world) expects a revamped iPhone 5S later this year. He also predicts that it will include a fingerprint sensor by the home button, which would replace password inputs and bring additional security to transactions through Apple’s Passbook.