Reports have surfaced that say tech giant Apple aims to shake things up anew with the upcoming launch of the newest iteration of the iPhone.

According to a source who spoke with Apple Insider, one of the rumored changes that Apple will implement with the next outing of its iPhone lineup is the release window, which will occur in the earlier half of 2016.

Previous iterations of the iPhone were released in the latter months of the year they were released. The iPhone 5 was launched in September 2012. Meanwhile, the newly released iPhone 6s and 6s Plus were released in the market just last September. However, speculations place the next Apple smartphones to be out earlier next year, and fans may be looking for either a spring or summer release.

This seems to be a whole new pattern for the smartphone wars. Just recently, it was speculated that another tech giant, South Korea's Samsung, is looking to adjust its next flagship outing in January instead of the usual March-May time frame.

Meanwhile, Forbes reports that aside from the earlier-than-usual release dates, the iPhone 7 will launch with an additional new variant, a smaller iPhone with 4-inch display. The rumor started with a research report by Ming-Chi Kuo, a securities analyst considered to be one of the best Apple decision forecasters. According to Kuo, Apple will come out with a new 4-inch iPhone that will have specs closer to those of an upgraded 5s. If the rumor is proven true, Apple fans will see iPhone versions in the two budget extremes – a mid-ranged iPhone 7 variant for a budget price, and the premium iPhone 7 and 7 Plus.

In the case of the iPhone 7 Plus, there are also speculations that Apple will pull out all the stops with the larger iPhone variant. In a report by MacWorld UK, the new iPhone 7 Plus is wil be released with an upgraded A10 chipset, plus at least 3 GB of RAM.