The next iPhone is always the subject of much rumour and speculation, but this year things are already getting quite saucy. In fact, this may be the biggest ‘S’ release of an iPhone ever, so strap in and read on!
3. A thicker, stronger iPhone
For years, Apple have excitedly announced a new, thinner iPhone. Now, the trend is set to reverse, as KGI analyst Ming Chi Kuo suggests the iPhone will be 0.2 mm thicker than its predecessor. That’s pretty cool because it suggests quite a few new features – including a Force Touch screen, which will let the screen detect the pressure exerted upon it (like the Apple Watch and the new MacBook’s trackpad). It could also indicate a completely flat rear panel, with no camera bump as we see on the iPhone 6. Finally, the iPhone 6S is set to use the aluminium that Apple developed for the Watch Sport, which should be stronger and lighter than the kind used in iPhones to date. Hopefully that’ll put a stop to the #bendgate movement that dominated the headlines upon the iPhone 6’s release.
2. An upgraded camera and faster internals
The iPhone 6S is set to be the first iPhone to come with a 12-megapixel sensor, after four years of 8-megapixel units (starting with the iPhone 4S). Samsung recently showed up Apple in a blind camera test between the Galaxy S6 and the iPhone 6, and a higher resolution sensor could be one vital ingredient for Apple to reclaim the camera crown. Alongside the improved camera, Apple is also expected to plump for 2GB of DDR4 RAM for the first time, which should let more apps stay open simultaneously, cutting down on those annoying reloads when switching apps.
1. Invisible antenna lines and new colours
One of the most exciting upgrades for me is a purely stylistic one. Apple has filed a patent for a material that looks like aluminium but acts like plastic, allowing wireless signals to pass through. This could allow them to make a single colour chassis, removing the ugly plastic lines that currently sit near the top and bottom of the iPhone 6. What’s more, the iPhone 6S is reported to come in a new colour, Rose Gold, which was introduced with the Apple Watch. Combined, we can look forward to a better looking iPhone than ever before.
Conclusion
The iPhone 6S and 6S Plus are expected to go into mass production in late August, with an announcement in September. 80 to 90 million iPhones will be produced in 2015, according to Kuo. If they have all of these features – and perhaps a few more that haven’t been leaked – then the iPhone 6S could be a solid upgrade over the iPhone 6.
What features do you want to see on the new iPhone? Let us know in the comments below, as always!