Apple may have a new iPhone coming, and sooner than you might think. According to a report released by KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has a track record of successfully predicting what the Cupertino giant is planning on, Apple will release a new, smaller iPhone in the first half of 2016.

The report predicts this iPhone, which likely wouldn't be called the iPhone 7 -- but which Kuo also stressed would probably not follow the company's previous pattern of releasing a colorful, plastic-based "iPhone 6c" -- will nevertheless be similar in many ways to the iPhone 5c's small-device, low-price strategy. The difference is that the upcoming iPhone will purportedly retain the metal casing found in the iPhone 5s.

In the report released to MacRumors, Kuo said he believed Apple had a 4-inch iPhone on the way in the early 2016 that "resembles an upgraded iPhone 5s" and would likely come with an A9 processor.

However, he also noted that there was little chance the new 2016 iPhone 6c (or whatever it's called) would come equipped with the latest big feature from Apple, the variable sensitivity "3D Touch" screen. This year Apple introduced 3D Touch on the new iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus, after first unveiling the feature on the Apple Watch.

Kuo expects Apple could be working towards shipping as many as 20 to 30 million units of the new 4-inch iPhone in 2016, which he believes Apple is working exclusively with Foxconn to manufacture. Kuo predicts the new iPhone will be unveiled and launched in the first part of next year.

Kuo, who Apple Insider notes has accurately predicted Apple product features and plans several times in the past. In particular, according to The Verge, Kuo correctly predicted the launch of the larger screened 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch iPhone models, along with the two sizes of the Apple Watch, and the launch of the new 12-inch MacBook, as well.

Kuo's latest prediction follows a clear line of reasoning based on the demand that still exists in the smartphone market for an Apple smartphone that doesn't have a screen nearing five or six inches.

"As there is still demand for a 4-inch iPhone, we believe Apple will upgrade this product line," wrote Kuo in his investors note obtained by MacRumors. "Because the iPhone 5S is more popular than the iPhone 5C, we think Apple is likely to launch an upgraded iPhone 5S."

Kuo continued in more detail, writing, "We predict Apple will mass-produce this new 4-inch iPhone in 1H16 [the first half of 2016] with metal casings. In order to make the current iOS 9 or next-generation iOS 10 run smoothly, Apple may adopt an A9 chip for this new phone."

Kuo also made some predictions for the next-year iPhone, expected to be called the iPhone 7, though his forecasts were a lot less detailed and safer. He sees an A10 chip being introduced with the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, with a bump up to 3GB of RAM for the iPhone 7 Plus. That wouldn't be entirely unexpected, but a mid-cycle launch of third iPhone was unheard of, until now.