The media has rampantly reported in recent weeks that Apple will release an iPhone 6s and iPhone 6c in 2015. This was a big surprise when the story broke, as Apple had been presumed to be releasing an iPhone 7 during this calendar year. But it now seems that the consumer electronics giant will hold back this revolutionary next-generation smartphone until 2016. Instead, the iPhone 6s and IPhone 6c will be viewed as updates to the staggeringly commercially successful iPhone 6.
With both of these devices expected to launch in the early days of Q4, Apple has probably already completed a lot of the preliminary design work on these smartphones. Of course, Apple is well known for keeping its cards close to its chest, and we won’t even hear about the existence of either the iPhone 6s or iPhone 6c for quite some time. But considering that analysts began talking about the Apple Watch some two years before it was actually confirmed by Apple itself, we can begin to confidently state that the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6c will indeed be released in 2015.
So here ValueWalk examines some of the possible specifications of the two devices, and considers how the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6c may differ.
iPhone 6s and 6c design
We should expect a fairly uniform design across the two devices in terms of their physical appearance. Both the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus featured the same design, and it seems reasonable to assume that the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6C will be identical in terms of build. However, they will diverge significantly in terms of size, and this will be most obviously felt in terms of the displays of the two devices.
iPhone 6s and 6c display
Early rumors related to the iPhone 6s suggested that Apple may freeze the screen size of the device from the current generation iPhone 6. This would suggest that there will be an iPhone 6s which has a 4.7-inch display, and a larger phablet-sized version of the handset which will feature a 5.5-inch screen.
It is the iPhone 6C which will be a significant departure in this department, with this smaller version of the iPhone apparently intended to fulfil the vision of Steve Jobs. The Apple founder and CEO had stated that he envisaged 3.5-inches to be the ideal size for a smartphone screen. And although Apple will not deliver precisely this with the iPhone 6c, it will ensure that Jobs’ vision of a compact smartphone will be realized in 2015.
Additionally, the resolution of both the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus will need to be significantly improved over the previous iteration in the series. Thus, we could see a quad HD iPhone 6s Plus and a full HD iPhone 6s. The iPhone 6c will probably not need the same level of screen resolution as its larger cousin, so a similar resolution to the iPhone 6 would seem to be likely.
iPhone 6s and 6c camera
This has been one area of the iPhone series which has been rife with rumors in recent weeks and months. Apple has been linked with producing both a dual-lens, professional quality camera, and also a unique periscope device. However, now that the iPhone 7 is being delayed until 2016, it looks highly likely that Apple will similarly delay any such revolutionary changes to the iPhone make-up for this 2016 release.
So what can we expect from the iPhone 6 6s and iPhone 6c cameras? It seems more reasonable to expect a spec upgrade, and it has been suggested in some quarters that Apple will in fact double the megapixel rating of the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s plus snappers. This will mean that Apple arms the two devices with 16-megapixel cameras.
It seems unlikely that the iPhone 6c will feature such a powerful camera considering the smaller screen size. So it is possible that we might see the iPhone 6c camera based on the existing camera technology included in the iPhone 6, which would mean that it featured an 8-megapixel lens. But one would expect Apple to maintain the outstanding optical image stabilization functionality which has become a hallmark of the iPhone series.
iPhone 6s and 6c processor
With Samsung currently basing its Galaxy S6 on pseudo octa-core technology, there will be pressure on Apple to significantly improve the processors in the iPhone series. This could see the iPhone 6s fitted with a quad-core processor for the first time, with the iPhone 6s Plus particularly benefiting from this. It’s probably too late in the day for Apple to move away from Qualcomm, so expect a Snapdragon clocked at around 2 GHz.
iPhone 6s and 6c memory
Apple has always relied on its combination of proprietary software and hardware to power its devices. But there is pressure on the corporation to deliver more memory in the iPhone series, with the Galaxy S6 now featuring triple the internal RAM of the iPhone series. So we may see a doubling of the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus memory to 2 GB, although the iPhone 6c is more likely to run off 1 GB.
iPhone 6s and 6c storage
A maximum storage capacity of 128 GB could be doubled for the iPhone 6s. In terms of the iPhone 6c, this area is actually quite difficult to predict, as it will be dependent on how Apple markets the device. But it wouldn’t be surprising to see it feature a similar level of storage to the iPhone 6, which would mean the largest version of the iPhone 6c featuring 128 GB of storage.
iPhone 6s and 6c battery
Apple has been criticized for the battery life of the iPhone 6, and thus must significantly increase this quotient in both the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. This could see a battery included in both of these devices around 2,500 mAh. It will probably be a little too early for wireless charging to be included in the iPhone series, but a more powerful batteries cell should at least enable the lifespan of the iPhone 6s to increase significantly. The smaller iPhone 6C may feature the 1,810 mAh battery included in the iPhone 6.
