iPhone 6 Release Date, Specs and Features: Multiple Display Sizes, A8 Chipset AND 128GB Storage

Battery 

A new leak from sources inside Apple's Asian supply  network  suggests that not only will the phone feature a larger battery cell but supports rumours of an all new handset design with a larger display panel. 

The leaked info and images come via Chinese source MyDrivers.com [1] , which reports the iPhone 6's battery will be rated between 1,700mAh and 2,000mAh, with the lower option being more likely. Certainly the 1,700mAh rating would be a logical step up from the previous iPhones as the iPhone 5S went up to 1,570mAh from the 1,440mAh of the iPhone 5. 

A8 Chipset

Accoridng to G For Games [2] , TSMC will now undertake production of Apple’s 20nm A8 chipset for the iPhone 6 â€" and that same chipset will presumably be used inside Apple’s next-generation iPads as well.

“The reason why Samsung is reportedly out of the race is because the A8 CPU is expected to be built using 20nm manufacturing process, and apparently Samsung is facing low yield production issues with the chip. On the other hand, TSMC has supposedly been able to meet Apple’s demands, and chances are that the aforementioned giant will handle all the production,” said the report.

It added: “Samsung might’ve lost this one, but whether or not the Korean giant will be able to strike a deal with Apple once the “next-next-gen” A9 processor enters production remains to be seen. The SoC will most likely be developed using 16nm / 14nm technology, and Sammy already has some experience in the 14nm scene.”

Storage

With regards to storage on Apple’s next-generation iPhones, there appears to be several schools of thought. One report has recently claimed the company would dropped its 16GB version in favour of a 32GB/64GB-only range. What’s more interesting, however, are the persistent claims the larger, iPhone 6 phablet will feature 128GB of storage.

“Feng,” reports NDTV [3] , “a Chinese blog [4] , cites sources familiar with Apple's supply chain and claims that the company's alleged 5.5-inch iPhone 6 variant will feature a 128GB storage variant. The report further claims that the 128GB storage variant will be limited to the bigger variant of the rumoured iPhone 6, and the alleged 4.7-inch iPhone 6 will offer the conventional 64GB as its maximum storage variant.”

NFC

According to Morgan Stanley Apple will be adopting NFC with the help of NXP. The M7 motion-sensing chip within the Apple iPhone 5s was supplied by NXP so it’s likely the NFC wireless hardware will be supplied by the same company.

A Morgan Stanley analyst said “NXP is well positioned to participate in Apple’s mobile payments ecosystem. The company signed a licensing agreement with a customer in Q4’13, who we believe is Apple, related to its emerging ID business. 

“A recent patent filing by Apple revealed potential use of NFC and secure element, which we think could be embedded. NXP has also accelerated R&D spend to support a new program related to the IP deal, with revenue expected in 2H, lining up well with the launch of iPhone 6. We see this potentially adding $250mn in sales and EPS of $0.25 in 2015.”

It’s not only Morgan Stanley though; various other analyst [5]  firms have been reporting the same kind of rumours. So prepare to be able to use NFC technology on your iOS handset in the near future.

Connectivity

According to Timothy Arcuri, an analyst from US firm Cowen and Compan,y the iPhone 6 will feature improved  Wi-Fi  802.11ac.

Arcuri also commented on Apple’s broader feature set, saying that updates to iOS (iOS 8) are likely to focus on things like iBeacon, Touch ID, and Passbook. Arcuri added that 2013’s iPhone 5S was just the start â€" or, put another way: the jumping board for this year’s products. In 2014/15 the company will focus more and more on mobile payments, leveraging services like TouchID, iBeacons and the currently (pretty useless) Passbook application.

IPHONE 6 CAMERA

China Post reports that it has heard from Nomura Security, a Chinese firm, that Apple will still use the existing 8-megapixel iSight sensor present in the iPhone 5S but will make further tweaks to improve imaging quality. One such change is said to be the addition of optical image stabilisation (OIS).

Another source â€" this time Apple Insider [6]  â€" had this to say: "People familiar with the matter have told us Apple will likely forego a high-megapixel camera in its 2014 iPhone offerings, in favor of tweaking other image-enhancing components. In other words, megapixels are less of a priority for Apple than overall image quality."

Adding further legitimacy to the claims, the US Patent & Trademark Office [7]  has received a patent application from Apple for an OIS setup and improved autofocus technology. This will include "voice coil motor actuators" for allowing the lens to adjust with movement. The move is a believable one, as Apple has previously emphasised its reluctance to upscale the megapixel count, instead insisting it will concentrate on tweaking its existing hardware.

Links

1. ^{^} MyDrivers.com (news.mydrivers.com)
2. ^{^} G For Games (www.gforgames.com)
3. ^{^} NDTV (gadgets.ndtv.com)
4. < small>^{^} blog (www.feng.com)
5. ^{^} various other analyst (www.macrumors.com)
6. ^{^} Apple Insider (appleinsider.com)
7. ^{^} US Patent & Trademark Office (appft.uspto.gov)

source: www.knowyourmobile.com