We’ve heard tons of leaks about the iPhone 6, but this time, the leaks come directly from one of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s carriers—China Telecom. The company unwittingly let the cat out of the bag on some of the smartphone’s features, while also saying that it will be selling unlocked iPhone 6 handsets that will be able to work on all major Chinese carriers through a SIM card.
China Telecom confirms iPhone 6
Most are generally expecting Apple to unveil the iPhone 6 on Sept. 9. That date hasn’t officially been confirmed by Apple, but it seems like the best guess so far although a recent report from Reuters indicated that the date could end up being pushed back.
So what kinds of features can we expect the smartphone to have? Just ask China Telecom, apparently. Sina Mobile News reported this week that the carrier confirmed the iPhone 6 launch on a post on Chinese micro-blogging platform Weibo. The website states that the next iPhone will be compatible with numerous different wireless networks, including: TDD-LTE, WCDMA, GSM, FDD-LTE, CDMA2000 and CDMA1X.
China Telecom also said that the iPhone 6 model it will sell will be unlocked so that it can work on more than one Chinese carrier network.
Spoke too soon?
Apple is known to be very strict about the news its partners and carriers release before a product is officially announced. China Telecom apparently deleted the Weibo post about the iPhone 6, suggesting that either Apple clamped down on the carrier or the post just wasn’t even true to begin with. However, the information about the handset being compatible with all Chinese wireless networks seems to make sense, as 9to5 Mac suggests.
The website suggests that Apple could be simplifying its inventory while also making it possible for China Telecom to begin offering LTE data. Also if China Telecom does sell an unlocked model, then it could get some iPhone 6 sales even if it doesn’t get subscribers out of the deal. The carrier has been bleeding subscribers since the iPhone was launched on the China Mobile network, so it will do just about anything to attract more business, apparently.
