Latest news on iPhone 6s
Apple rumour round-up…
Apple is expected to take big steps towards transforming the iPhone into a DSL-Requivalent camera
Expectation for the iPhone 6s is already climbing with reports from China claiming Apple has asked manufacturers to make 90 million units of the next-generation device, so what can we expect from this release? We’ve taken a look at current speculation and while we don’t anticipate any big changes in terms of shape and size, we are expecting improvements to the camera, performance and user interface.
Force Touch
KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted in May that ForceTouch support will appear in the new iPhones, calling this “the most significant change to the iPhone’s interface to date”. Introduced in MacBook and Apple Watch, Force Touch should enable Apple to bring us user interface enhancements and could enable the company to replace the existing iPhone Home button with a new haptic, Force Touch-enabled button (though this may not be until 2016), enabling the entire front face of the iPhone to also be a usable display. In this iteration it seems likely Force Touch will be integrated across the system and its apps, for example in Maps to drop new pins or in media players for pressuresensitive scrolling.
Display
Following the success of the larger iPhone 6 Plus, Apple will offer the iPhone 6s series in both 4.7and 5.5-inch sizes. There have been reports Apple and Foxconn have been working together to deploy sapphire displays (as we had expected would appear in iPhone 6), which should bring us better scratch and shatter protection. There is a (less credible) Chinese report that claims the iPhone 6s Plus may even get a 2K display.
Processor
Apple gave iOS 64-bit support in 2013. Since earlier this year all iOS apps must support 64-bit to be included on the App Store. It has been suggested the A9 chip will be a 14-nanometer 2.5GHz processor based on ARM’s Cortex-A72 CPU design, capable of “console-class gaming performance”. To make performance even better, Apple is expected to double the available RAM inside iPhones (up to 2GB).
Faster 4G
Leaks claiming to be from inside China Mobile allege the iPhones 6s may use a Qualcomm LTE/4G chip, which supports LTE-Advanced, a new 4G standard that’s two to three times as fast as the current 4G standard.
Camera+
iPhones have been the top mobile cameras for images shared on Flickr for years. This continues in iPhone 6s, when Apple is expected to take big steps towards transforming its smartphone into a DSLR-equivalent camera. Code inside iOS 9 suggests a 12-megapixel camera, 4K video and 240fps slow-motion, as well as a boost to the front-facing camera, which should also gain a flash. Well-reputed gossip site Daring Fireball has previously speculated Apple may deploy technologies it acquired when it purchased LinX for $20 million inside the iPhone 6s. If it does so then expect improvements in colour fidelity, image sharpness and low light level image capture thanks to a dual-lens camera system.
Compact body
Apple Watch squeezes most of its components (RAM, storage, sensors and processors) inside a single compact package so a great deal of technology can be squeezed inside a small space. China Times believes Apple will adopt this approach in the iPhone 6s. Chinese reports also claim Apple plans to use the metal alloys (such as Series 7000 aluminium alloy) developed while creating the Apple Watch, potentially based on metal processes once again licensed from LiquidMetal this year. The biggest news is likely to be the new colours: a more yellow gold, a darker grey and a rose gold model.
Faster, with excellent cameras and available in new colours, we can’t wait to see the iPhone 6s.