The iPhone 6 seems to be the subject of a new leak or piece of information almost every day, and with so many reports flying about, it can be rather difficult to keep abreast of what’s going on. Here, we try to establish a little coherence with a brief run-through of what we think we know so far.
With five months to go until the supposed release, it’s worth making clear the point that any information gathered could well be inaccurate, and even if it originates from a relatively legitimate source, could well be subject to change. However, it must also be noted that during the past couple of weeks, preparations look to have been made in advance of the commencement of the manufacturing process, and thus, Apple appears to be nearing that point of no return.
So, what do we know?
iPhone 6 Features / Specs:
Display Size and Resolution
According to credible reports from the likes of The Wall Street Journal, Apple is preparing two brand-new ‘iPhone 6’ models for release later on this year. Both will apparently be decidedly larger than any Apple smartphone we’ve seen so far, with a 4.7-inch model allied to a further configuration sporting a 5.5-inch or thereabouts display.
More recently, it has come to light that the more sizeable, phablet-esque variant may be subject to delay, releasing later on the year. The version with the 4.7-inch display, however, is said to be close to mass production stage, and will supposedly be ready in time for the September announcement.
It’s also rumored that the iPhone 6 will have a bezel-free display.
On various occasions we’ve heard that the iPhone 6 will have a much higher resolution display, and if an earlier report is to be believed, then it will feature a full 1080p display.
A recent report suggested that Apple is dropping Samsung and Sharp from its list of iPhone 6 display suppliers, and have instead opted to go with LG and Japan Display while also adding Innolux to the roster. It’s still unclear what lead to this decision to be taken, but we’re sure we’ll have more word on this in the coming days.
It’s pretty clear that Apple will bump up the display size of the iPhone 6, taking it up to the 4.7-inch mark – or 5.5-inches if they’re also planning to release an iPhone phablet – but there hasn’t been word about the display resolution thus far.
A new report by 9to5Mac however, claims that Apple’s next-gen iPhone will have a panel resolution of 1704 x 960, giving it a pixel density of 416 ppi, which is way above Apple’s ‘Retina display’ region.
Relocated Power Button
The Apple iPhone’s smaller display compared with the rest of the field has been advantageous to consumers in one respect, in that folks can easily reach all of the physical buttons and control every aspect of the device with one hand. To ensure that the iPhone remains comfortable to hold even when the device becomes larger, it would appear that Apple plans to relocate the power button to the edge of the handset, alongside the redesigned volume buttons.
New Design
iPhone 6 Concept by Martin Hajek
It’s somewhat inevitable that, in significantly increasing the size of the iPhone, Apple must consider redesigning its prized asset, and according to multiple case leaks, that’s exactly what Jony Ive and his design team intends to do. As we’ve seen, the rear side of the iPhone will take on iPad Air-esque, whilst the front will boast an edge-to-edge display, allowing the screen to increase in size without leaving the device itself feeling too large and unwieldy.
A new report now suggests that the iPhone 6 will be 33% thinner than the iPhone 5s. And the report falls in line with previous rumors that the iPhone 6 will indeed carry a brand new form factor, and Apple will move away from the iPhone 5-esque design for good.
While we know that the iPhone 6 will indeed feature an all new design inspired by the iPad Air / mini, but it’s still unclear what the final product will look like. But the bits and pieces are coming in slowly and gradually, and the latest one suggests that the iPhone 6 will have a full aluminum back, and will also feature a display with slightly rounded edges.
Now a new video from Unbox Therapy claims that the iPhone 6 will have a profile as thin as the iPod touch fifth-generation, something which previous leaks did not note. Take a look at the video below:
Bigger Battery and Front Panel
Leaks have suggested that the iPhone 6 battery will increase, which, given the display increase, is not too hard to fathom. More features will require an increase in battery size in order to keep things ticking over, and although Apple isn’t likely to go too large – the company likes to concentrate on efficient use of power rather than frivolous addition of capacity – expect to see a bump from the iPhone 5s’s 1,560 mAh.
A new report now suggests that the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 phablet will have ‘special battery components’ which will make the device ultra-thin. This is said to be the reason why the device is also facing delays and might not be available alongside the 4.7-inch iPhone 6.
iPhone 6 Front Panel
The leaked front panel of the iPhone 6 which was accompanied by the battery leak suggests that the front of the device will be very much like the iPhone 5s, except that it will have a proportionately larger display of 4.7-inches.
Better Camera
We’ve come to assume that, with each new iPhone, Apple will improve the camera, and for the iPhone 6, this tradition looks set to continue. According to the most recently-leaked information, the rear-facing iPhone 6 camera will be of the 10-megapixel variety, with f/1.8 aperture. Again, when you look around the market and see the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S5 (16-megapixel, 4K video) and Nokia Lumia 1020 (41-megapixel), you may be forgiven for thinking that Apple is slacking. But meticulous focus on improving particular aspects of the point-and-shoot experience is something Apple has become famous for, so expect the snapper of the iPhone 6 to impress once again.
An earlier report however, shed light on the fact that the iPhone 6 might end up retaining the same 8-megapixel sensor which we’re accustomed with on the 5s, but will feature better optical image stabilization (OIS) and faster autofocus.
According to ESM China analyst Sun Chang Xu, the iPhone 6 camera will have larger pixels, for shooting better images in low light conditions, and to make the experience far more delightful, the device will also feature electronic image stabilization.
Improved Touch ID Fingerprint Sensor
One of the marquee features of the iPhone 5s was the Touch ID fingerprint sensor, a feature that has established itself rather well in its first six months in the hands of the consumer. In order to consolidate Touch ID’s glowing reputation, Apple is expected to make a bunch of customary improvements to iPhone 6 Touch ID fingerprint sensor, with better "efficiency" having been mentioned in several reports.
Whether its functionality will be expanded beyond the current limitations is anybody’s guess, but hopefully, Apple will find ways to enhance one of the iPhone’s perceivably cooler features.
Apart from getting a beefed up Touch ID fingerprint sensor, the iPhone 6 isn’t going to be the only device which will benefit from the hardware this year. A report suggests that the iPad Air 2, and a new iPad mini 3 will also get Touch ID, while there’s no mention of the iPod touch.
Sapphire Glass Display
There has been talk that the iPhone 6 will pack a toughened sapphire glass display, although the report in question did suggest that only the 5.5-inch model would benefit. Having surfaced back in February, the revelation from Japanese blog Macotakara also suggested that the display of the 4.7-inch model would be comprised of Gorilla Glass, but given how the same report also implied that the 5.5-inch-displaying variant would drop the "iPhone" branding, we’re still going to take this with a pinch of salt.
To get an idea of how much tougher the iPhone 6 display be with a sapphire display, check out the demo we’ve embedded below:
Wi-Fi 802.11ac
Analyst Timothy Arcuri reckons the iPhone 6 will pack Gigabit Wi-Fi standard, which would make hotspot connectivity faster and generally more efficient. Even though we get carried away by the trappings of improved fingerprint sensors and fanciful camera tweaks, this is perhaps one of the most important enhancements that Apple could make, and hopefully, Arcuri’s suppositions ring true once the release arrives.
iWatch Integration
The iWatch saga has been ongoing for a number of years now, but finally, it looks as though Apple will come through and release a competitor to the Samsung Gear 2, Pebble Smartwatch, and the several other efforts from vendors jumping on Google’s Android Wear OS. Given how every smartwatch released so far has served as an extension of the wearer’s smartphone, we’d expect heavy iWatch integration with the iPhone 6, and considering how iOS 8 is expected to add a Healthbook app, we’d expect the Cupertino’s new fitness and wellbeing suite to be at the heart of it.
Heart Rate Sensor
It’s also rumored that the iPhone 6 will come packed with a heart rate sensor, just like the Galaxy S5. And it’s believed that this sensor will be accessible via the Healthbook app in iOS 8.
NFC for Payments
It has been rumored for a long time that the iPhone will eventually get NFC, and a new report which surfaced a few days back adds fuel to the notion, suggesting that the iPhone 6 will finally get the long-awaited NFC feature, but will be limited to making payments only.
iPhone 6 Accessories
Considering how the iPhone 5s was treated when it was announced last year, Apple took the opportunity to announce official accessories for said device. We’re certain that Apple will repeat history this time around as well with the release of official cases and cables for the iPhone 6.
Keeping in mind how big the accessory business is, it was revealed a while back in an electronics fair in Hong Kong that the iPhone 6 will indeed be accompanied by a plethora of cases at launch. But, considering how Apple tends to throw in a couple of surprises on keynote date, we won’t bet our cards on them yet. But still, there will be cases, without a doubt.
Hands-on with iPhone 6 Case
Apart from the numerous iPhone 6 case leaks we’ve already seen, a video recently surfaced, comparing the alleged iPhone 6 case with the Galaxy Note 3, the LG Nexus 5 and the current-generation iPhone, the iPhone 5s. As you can see from the video below, the next iPhone will have a 4.7-inch display and an all-new design.
How does iPhone 6 stack up against the competition?
To give prospective buyers an idea of how the larger display of the iPhone 6 will stack up against other smartphones already in the market, MacRumors released a handy comparison of the iPhone 6 versus the HTC One M8, Galaxy S5, Moto X, LG G2 Mini, Nexus 5 and the LG G2.
iPhone 6 Mockups
We’ve seen a bunch of digital mockups of the iPhone 6 created by a variety of designers, but the above mentioned electronics fair was also host to a physical iPhone 6 mockup. You can check out the video of it below:
4.7-inch iPhone 6 Dummy Models and Comparisons
We’ve seen countless leaks of the 4.7-inch iPhone 6, showing off the all new design in all its glory, and even compared to flagship devices already out in the market. And we’ve linked all the leaks we’ve witnessed so far below:
- Photos Of iPhone 6 Dummy Shows New Thinner Design As Per Leaked Reports
- Detailed Mockup Shows iPhone 6 Final Design In Full Glory [Photo]
- 4.7-inch iPhone 6 Mockup Gets Hands-On Treatment [VIDEO]
- Silver iPhone 6 Dummy Appears In Leaked Set Of Photos
- Apple iPhone 6 Mockup Compared With Samsung Galaxy S5 [Photos]
- New iPhone 6 Dummy Models In Black And Silver Are The Most Detailed Yet! [Photos]
- iPhone 6 Model Unit Vs iPhone 5S – Size Comparison [VIDEO]
- Up-Close And Hands-On With iPhone 6 Model Unit [Photos]
- Space Gray iPhone 6 Model Unit Shows Off Device’s Rounded Edges Around The Display [Photos]
- iPhone 6 Model Units Show Space Gray, Gold And Sliver Color Options [Photos]
- iPhone 6 Gets Side-By-Side Comparison With iPod touch 5G [Photos]
- iPhone 6 Compared In Size To iPhone 5S In Detail As More 3D Renders Leak Online [Photos]
- iPhone 6 Model Unit Vs HTC One M8 – Size Comparison [Photos]
- Video Comparison: Gold & Space Gray iPhone 6 vs iPhone 5S vs iPod touch
- iPhone 6 Model Unit Compared To Every iPhone Ever Released [Photos]
5.5-inch iPhone 6 Dummy Models and Comparisons
It’s said that the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 will be followed up by a 5.5-inch iPhone phablet, which is destined to be released later next year. Following are links to all the leaks and dummies we have witnessed so far below:
- 5.5-Inch iPhone 6 Phablet Model Compared Head-To-Head With iPhone 5S [Photos]
- 5.5-Inch iPhone 6 Phablet Dimensions Detailed In New Case Leak [Photo]
If you are interested, you can actually 3D print iPhone 6 dummy model based on the actual leaked schematics right now.
iPhone 6 Concept TV Ad
Designers have been working their magic front, right and center from time to time, and SET Solution wasted no time in imagining what the iPhone 6 TV ad will look like. Take a look at it below:
Though the designers have done a marvelous job, but it’s worth noting that the device shown in the mockup ad does not fall in line with the leaks we’ve seen in the past few weeks.
After all, it is a concept!
iOS 8
We’ve come to see that every iPhone ever released was always accompanied by a fresh new release of iOS, and it’s a no-brainer to believe that iPhone 6 would follow the same pattern.
It’s been suggested in numerous reports that iOS 8 will bring small changes to the fold, such as the inclusion of a dedicated iTunes Radio app, the aforementioned Healthbook app etc.
Recently, we also came across a report suggesting that Siri in iOS 8 will natively identify songs, with the song recognition engine being powered by Shazam.
iOS and Apps running on 4.7-inch Display
At this point, it’s unknown what iOS will look like on a larger, 4.7-inch display, but thanks to the folks over at 9to5Mac, we can get a rough idea. Take a look at the video below:
iPhone 6 Release Date And Price
The iPhone 6 – the 4.7-inch model, at least – is expected to arrive in September, amid a swathe of other big releases from Apple including the aforementioned iWatch. A report recently suggested that the Cupertino giant might take a u-turn and release the iPhone 6 in August. But, a follow-up report suggests that fall is the time-frame Apple has in mind for releasing its new smartphone.
It’s also believed that Apple supplier Pegatron has received orders for the 4.7-inch iPhone 6, and is aiming to ship the final product by the end of this year, giving weight to the latter report.
It has been rumored that Apple will increase the price of its new handset by approximately $100, with the justification being the higher production cost due to larger display and the use of more materials.
The 5.5-inch Phablet edition, meanwhile, appears to be subject to delay, and while it should be available in time for the holiday season, it looks like the smaller of the iPhone 6 models will have a good couple of months unattended as Apple’s flagship smartphone.
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