With time ticking away to an expected iPhone 6s release, possibly the first major leak has emerged regarding the smartphone. The leak in question has emanated from KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who will be an instantly recognizable name to regular Apple followers. Kuo has spoken to Apple Insider about several key elements of the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus which he believes are certainties when the handset is released.
Force Touch
Firstly, Kuo suggests that the next generation iPhone will make use of Force Touch technology. This would make obvious sense for Apple after it was included in the first release of its Apple Watch smartwatch. It is intended that this upgraded selling point of the smartphone will enhance the user experience for the average iPhone consumer via improved input methods and support of handwritten signatures. The latter is particularly intended to allow Apple to expand in the commercial marketplace.
Display
According to Kuo, the display will remain at 4.7 and 5.5-inches for the iPhones 6s and iPhone 6s Plus respectively. It is also suggested that there will be no increase in resolution, which will probably be something of a disappointment for Apple fans. However, the iPhone’s 6s is considered to be very much an upgrade of last year’s iPhone 6, with a revolutionary iPhone 7 coming next year.
Kuo also suggested that the frequently floated 4-inch model of the smartphone will not ship this year. Whether this means that Apple will instead release an iPhone 7c next year remains to be seen.
Colors
Several analysts are suggesting today that Apple will release models featuring new color schemes when Apple’s iPhone 6S is released. Central to this plan will be an additional casing of rose gold, which will match the recent Apple Watch Edition. Considering that this sounds very much like a companion device to the flagship Apple smartwatch, it is possible that this particular version of the Apple’s device will retail at a pretty hefty price-tag, as the cheapest version of the Apple Watch Edition retails at $10,000.
Camera
Kuo believes that the camera in the iPhone 6s will be upgraded to 12-megapixels. This is perhaps a little less than some Apple fans may hope for, but on the other hand it is a fifty percent upgrade from the previous iteration in the series.
Microphone
Another new feature which is suggested for the iPhone 6s is an additional microphone. This will be added near the speaker of the device in order to enhance voice quality. With personal assistants becoming a more prominent feature in mobile technology, this would have obvious benefits for Apple’s Siri.
Processor and RAM
Considering that this is a more powerful iPhone, it is inevitable that the iPhone 6s will require a new processor. There is no particular secret as to the identity of this driving force of the device, with an A9 processor expected to be fitted. It has also been suggested that Apple will double the amount of RAM included in the iPhone 6s to 2 GB. Considering that the specifications of the device, specifically the resolution of the screen, have not been as upgraded as heavily as perhaps was expected, this will theoretically mean that the iPhone 6s runs at a considerably faster speed than the previous model of the smartphone.
Bendgate
Apple had to deal with a few blushes when the iPhone 6 was released thanks to the infamous ‘bendgate’ scandal. In truth, this was something of a storm in a teacup, but it generated enough negative headlines, and affected a significant enough number of iPhone users, for Apple to make real changes to the iPhone 6s in order to avoid further embarrassment.
So to deal with the bending issue, the iPhone 6s will apparently be improved by the utilization of differing casing materials. There have also been internal mechanical design changes to the smartphone in order to aid this process.
Sapphire glass
It seems that sapphire glass could finally be coming to the iPhone series. This attractive material has been linked with the smartphone range for quite some time, and speculation about its inclusion was stepped up after the Apple Watch was protected by sapphire glass technology.
According to Kuo, sapphire glass will be included in the iPhone 6s if drop test issues can be satisfactorily resolved. However, it would seem that this will only be in the 5.5-inch iPhone 6s Plus, and that there will be a relatively limited number of units featuring this option. It is possible that Apple will test the popularity of this feature in a specific geographical location, much as Samsung had limited Samsung galaxy smartphones with Exynos processors to the East Asian marketplace in previous releases.
Touch ID and Apple Pay
With mobile payment becoming increasingly important, Apple will be looking to kickstart its Apple Pay system. Thus, the iPhone 6s will feature an increased recognition rate for Touch ID which will aid this software.
Production
Production of the iPhone is expected to get underway in August, with total shipments somewhere between 80 and 90 million. There will be a 2:1 ratio of 4.7-inch to 5.5-inch models, as the traditional smartphone continues to significantly the phablet-sized iPhone 6s Plus.
Omissions
These are an interesting set of rumors, and put some flesh on the bones of what can be expected for the iPhone 6s. Of course, although Kuo has an excellent track record, his predictions will not necessarily turn out to be 100% correct.
But we can still note some possible omissions from the iPhone 6s which have been predicted previously. Kuo made no mention of the dual-lens camera which has been frequently linked with the iPhone series. However, it is likely that this is being held back for the iPhone 7.
There was also no reference to the revolutionary aluminum which was expected to assist with the bending issues, and also it seems likely based on Kuo’s opinion that there will be no wireless charging in this year’s iPhone. What his comments do indicate is that the next iPhone will certainly be branded as an iPhone 6s, and build on the massively commercially successful iPhone 6, with a Next Generation iPhone 7 to follow next year.
