Ever since last year’s iPhone 6 launch, leaks and reports have become grist to the rumour mill about the next Apple handsets to land on the market - likely to be called the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6c (but also known as the iPhone 7 at the moment).
Sifting through the mountains of speculation, half-truths and outright falsehoods can be a daunting task, so we've handily summarised everything you need to know about the next handset right here.
Apple iPhone 6s (7) & 6c: At-a-glance
- Invitations have gone out for an Apple event on 9 September
- Likely to included two updated models - iPhone 6s and iPhone 6c
- Could hit UK shores on 18 September
- Slated to include Force Touch display, improved camera and RAM upgrade
Jump to:
iPhone 6s (7) & 6c Latest news
01/09/2015: The iPhone 6s will apparently cost from €699 (£507), while the iPhone 6s Plus will start at €799 (£580) according to Dutch website Techtastic [1] . The devices will be available in three colours: space grey, silver and gold.
A picture of the new front-facing camera has also been leaked on 9to5Mac [2] showing a bigger sensor, with suggestions it will be boosted from the current 1.2-megapixels.
However, like most rumours, these can be taken with a pinch of salt as the source of the information seems to be pretty vague.
28/08/2015: Apple will discontinue the iPhone 5c, according to reports, but a replacement "iPhone 6c" won't show up at the company's special launch event taking place on 9 September.
The report comes from a source quoted by 9to5Mac [3] , which says production of the iPhone 5c could cease in late September, around the same time the iPhone 6s is widely slated to go on sale.
28/08/2015: Invitations have gone out for the next Apple event, which will be held on 9 September in San Francisco.
The event is widely expected to see the release of new iPhones, including the iPhone 6s.
Elsewhere, there are further clues to the event’s programme. The tagline on the invitations is “Hey Siri, give us a hintâ€, which point to the release of iOS 9 and its increased voice command features.
There have also been rumours, though, that an updated Apple TV is in the works, with Siri functionality built in to the remote in much the same way as Amazon Fire TV.
Whatever ends up getting launched in September, it’s bound to be big â€" Apple has hired out San Francisco’s 7,000-seat Bill Graham Civic Auditorium . This is a substantial contrast to its usual launch location, the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, which seats under 800.
The massively upgraded choice of venue indicates that Apple is planning to have either a huge amount of floor space for demonstrations or a much larger number of attendees.
Some have been predicting a new iPad launch as well, but given the usual schedule of these events, we’re expecting the new iPad to receive a standalone launch in October.
27/08/2015: Clues in the iOS 9 source code indicate that the new iPhone's keyboard will have trackpad features, activated via Force Touch.The telltale code snippets were revealed by Apple hacker Hamza Sood in a tweet, who has previously dug around in the Apple WatchOS and OS X El Capitan source code.
This particular string appears to be designed to turn the keyboard into a trackpad for easier and more intuitive text selection.
The code also mentions that the feature is activated via ‘Deep Press’, seemingly confirming the inclusion of Force Touch on Apple’s forthcoming devices
Whether or not this apparent trackpad feature will make it into the finished release, however, is still up for debate.
Of course, iOS 9 is still an unfinished beta, and as such, any insights gleaned from its code should be viewed with a measure of scepticism.
26/08/2015: A new video unearthed on YouTube yesterday by MacRumors [4] appears to show a semi-functional iPhone 6s boot up, while leaked photos feature its constituent parts.
The handset does not load the iOS operating system, but it does display Apple’s gear icon, and MacRumors published the video along with pictures showing apparent upgrades in the new device’s hardware.
Parts like the rear camera are missing in the handset featured in the video, but the gloved hand of an unknown Apple employee reveal an iPhone 6s logic board and display, alongside the rear casing and battery.
MacRumors also pointed to one of the photos, which allegedly confirms the 6s will boast better network performance by including Qualcomm’s WTR3925 radio frequency transceiver chip.
The chip is built on a 28-nm process, compared to the 6 and 6 Plus’s WTR1625L chip built on a 65-nm process, which MacRumors said negates the need for another chip that helps connect to different spectrums.
"By combining the functions of two chips into one on the iPhone 6s, power efficiency and performance are improved while taking up less space on the logic board," wrote the site.
21/08/2015: Apple's next device could be available to pre-order from 11 September, according to French site Mac4Ever.
The site managed to get a screen grab (French) [5] from one of its sources that reads: "You will receive an iPhone pre-reservation notice to integrate into your advertising stands on 11 September. Please display these as soon as you receive them".
The publication also claimed that shipments will begin a week after this, on 18 September, matching previous rumours from Apple Insider [6] .
As rumours circulate, news that Apple's stock price has fallen have also emerged, according to USA Today [7] , with smartphone sales reportedly falling by four per cent year on year for the second quarter of 2015.
Ken Winans of Winans International, told the publication: "There's still denial going on, but this is what happens in late stages [of bull markets]. The darling stocks start to get hammered."
20/08/2015: The iPhone 6s will be sturdier, but far more expensive than the iPhone 6, according to the latest leak about Apple’s next smartphone.
The tech giant is set to plough money into strengthening the chassis of the 6s to avoid another bendgate controversy , which mired the release of the iPhone 6 last year, according to Forbes [8] .
The publication referred to Unbox Therapy, which first revealed the iPhone 6’s problem of bending under relatively little pressure, and which has allegedly managed to get hold of a 6s chassis.
Where the 6 had a 6000 Series aluminium chassis, the 6s appears set to have a 7000 Series aluminium casing, blended with zinc to make it 2.7 times tougher.
But this strengthened chassis costs five times as much to manufacture as the old one, meaning Apple must either absorb the cost itself or pass it onto consumers, which Forbes speculated could lead to fewer sales.
18/08/2015:The iPhone 6s (also called the 7) will hit UK stores on 18 September, reports suggest - around 10 days after Apple officially unveils the handset.
Two out of three unnamed German mobile operators are preparing for the iPhone 6s to land on that date, according to a publication called Macerkopf, which cited anonymous sources.
With the UK and Germany both being first-tier launch countries for Apple, this means the UK will likely get the new iPhone on the same date, reported Apple Insider [9] .
Other countries including the US, Singapore, Australia, France and Canada would also get the phone on that date.
An 18 September release would put the date two Fridays after Apple is expected to officially announce the phone, on either the 8 or 9 September, a timetable in line with previous years' releases.
However, analysts are predicting the new smartphone won’t net Apple as many sales as it hopes, according News.com.au [10] .
KGI Securities, which News.com.au points out has had a good track record in predicting the success of upcoming Apple products, has forecast that sales will drop compared to revenues generated by the iPhone 6, which helped Apple sell 47 million handsets last quarter.
13/08/2015: Screenshots from Geekbench3 [11] suggest the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus will sport 1GB of memory, the same as the current iPhone 6. Many fans were hoping for a bump in the memory to better compete with Android phones.
Another report from Apple Insider [12] said that Intel modems may find their way into the next generation of iPhones. The publication cited a claim by an analyst working at Northland Capital Market as the source.
11/08/2015: A Force Touch screen on the new iPhone looks all but certain, as yet another leak appears to show.
Apple parts and accessories retailer MacManiack has obtained what appears to be the complete display unit for the forthcoming iPhone, complete with sensors and connectors.
As shown in the unboxing video below, uploaded by MacManiack, the screen part has what looks like a Force Touch sensor built in, as well as the cut-out section previously assumed to be part of its function.
There are also changes to the cable that runs to the TouchID sensor, indicating that it may have got a slight precision and efficiency upgrade.
Aside from these additions, the new iPhone screen appears to be unchanged, with exactly the same size, profile and layout as the previous iPhone 6 display.
However, it’s still unknown which iPhone model the new features will make it into â€" if any.
Best guesses currently indicate that Apple’s forthcoming launch will be the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6c, and if this proves accurate, don’t expect to see Force Touch on any iPhone lower than the 6s.
iPhone 6s (7) & 6c release date
Apple has issued invitations for an event in San Francisco on 9 September, to be held at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium.
The venue holds 7,000 people, as opposed to their usual venue, the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, which seats only 755.
This indicates that, along with the iPhone 6s, Apple has something much bigger in the works. A report from Apple Insider [13] suggests the iPhone 6s will be available in the UK on 18 September. This is because two German mobile operators are preparing for an 18 September launch, and with Germany and the UK among Apple's first-tier countries, the release date will apply to all first-tier regions.
Another rumour emerging from a French outlet [14] backs this up, stating that pre-orders will begin on 11 September with shipments to follow a week later.
There has also been much speculation about what the next iPhone will be branded as. It is generally thought the device will be named the iPhone 6s, in keeping with Apple's tradition of launching a new-model phone every other year, with an updated 's' version launched in the intervening years. However, some sources claim it will be a full-fat successor; the iPhone 7.
A slight spanner is thrown into the works by the fact that last year’s launch broke tradition by having two variants at launch. Whether Apple will release updated versions of both the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus is still unknown.
In keeping with 2013's iPhone 5s/5c release, Apple is also expected to release a more affordable version of its handset alongside the iPhone 6s. Widespread rumours prior to the launch have been lent credence by the inclusions of pastel-couloured detailing on the invitation, matching the colours used in the iPhone 5c range.
If Apple keeps to this release pattern, this would mean one slightly cheaper, entry-level model (6c), and one fancier, but more expensive version (6s).
iPhone 6s & 6c Price
As with any Apple launch, pricing details for the next generation of iPhones is thin on the ground. Previous pricing is usually a pretty good indication, however.
At launch, the iPhone 6 cost from £539 (inc. VAT) depending on storage. Based on that, an estimate of around £450-£500 for the entry-model iPhone 6c and from £550-£600 for the 6s seems reasonable.
News posted on Dutch site Techtastic cofirmed these rumours, listing the device prices as the following:
iPhone 6S
- iPhone 6S (Space Grey) 16GB / 64GB / 128GB €699 (£507) / €799 (£580) / €899 (£650)
- iPhone 6S (Silver) 16GB / 64GB / 128GB €699 (£507) / €799(£580) / €899 (£650)
- iPhone 6S (Gold) 16GB / 64GB / 128GB €699 (£507) / €799 (£580) / €899 (£650)
iPhone 6S Plus
- iPhone 6S Plus (Space Grey) 16GB / 64GB / 128GB €799 (£580) / €899 (£650) / €999 (£725)
- iPhone 6S Plus (Silver) 16GB / 64GB / 128GB €799 (£580) / €899 (£650) / €999 (£725)
- iPhone 6S Plus (Gold) 16GB / 64GB / 128GB €799 (£580) / €899 (£650) / €999 (£725)
In the unlikely event that Apple does release the iPhone 7 in September, prices of around £600 aren’t totally out of the question.
Links
- ^ Techtastic (www.techtastic.nl)
- ^ 9to5Mac (9to5mac.com)
- ^ 9to5Mac (9to5mac.com)
- ^ MacRumours (www.macrumors.com)
- ^ Mac4Ever (www.mac4ever.com)
- ^ Apple Insider (appleinsider.com)
- ^ USA Today (www.usatoday.com)
- ^ Forbes (www.forbes.com)
- ^ Apple Insider (appleinsider.com)
- ^ News.com.au (www.news.com.au)
- ^ Geekbench3 (www.gsmarena.com)
- ^ Apple Insider (appleinsider.com)
- ^ Apple Insider (appleinsider.com)
- ^ French outlet (www.phonearena.com)
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