iPhone 6 Rumour Mill, Release Date & Availability

iPhone 6 Rumour Mill, Release Date & Availability

The iPhone 6 is only expected be launch in around August / September but leaks have already started with a prototype plastic mockup spotted in the wild. Is it really going to be the new iPhone? We will update this post with everything we’ve heard so far about the new iPhone 6.

According to DisplaySearch analyst David Hsieh, Apple is toying with two different display sizes for its upcoming iPhone 6. Both feature more standard high-definition resolution than Apple’s current Retina displays, which would be a welcome change for many people. Hsieh’s report, which is based on his research in Apple’s supply chain, suggests that the company is testing both a 4.7-inch panel and a 5.7-inch panel. Exact resolutions are not clear but would likely continue the 16:9 resolution ratio since the iPhone 5 and also maintain the retina quality of the screens. The

iphone 6 dummy unit 2

Apple has even acknowledged that consumers want a larger screen after an internal slide was revealed in its court battle with Samsung entitled “Consumers want what we don’t have.”

DisplaySearch has reported accurate details of unannounced products in the past, and this new note jibes fairly nicely with an earlier report from The Wall Street Journal that suggested Apple is testing various display sizes up to 6 inches for its next-generation iPhone. A previous report from the Japanese business newspaper Nikkei claims that manufacturers have already begun making fingerprint sensors, liquid crystal drivers and chips for the device.

iphone-6-cw

The above picture is a rendered mockup. This is gorgeously thin though, and though unlikely to materialise, you just never know with Apple.

As you can see, this design embraces the glass back Apple did away with on the iPhone 5 in favor of an aluminum enclosure. The edges are matte metal, however, and the key feature here is the nearly edge-to-edge display and the ultra-thin design. It’s sort of like a cross between the new iPad mini with Retina display, and the iPhone 4/4S.

There are also further rumours to indicate that the iPhone 6 will use Sapphire Glass. This would be a new breakthrough and would reduce the requirements for a screen protector. Sapphire Glass is the second hardest material, just under diamond, and would be extremely scratch resistant. In terms of fracture, it is still not too clear whether it would be more resilient as compared to the popular Gorilla Glass Corning alternative.

PRICE AND RELEASE DATE

We expect the iPhone 6 models to be labelled with the same price tags as their iPhone 5s counterparts.

Analyst Sun Changxu and blogger Eldar Murtazin both claim that the iPhone 6 will launch in June 2014, pointing to “shorter cycles for the whole industry.” This would shortcut the usual September launch cycle and would draw attention to the new iPhone at Apple’s Wordwide Developers Conference. Since the launch of the iPhone 5S at the same screen size, Apple had been steadily losing market share and an earlier launch of a all new iPhone model could help stop the slide. However, Digitimes reports that Apple has only just placed orders with two smartphone battery suppliers in the Far East. That suggests that the iPhone 6 is not yet in mass production, which in turn points to a release this autumn (September, most likely) rather than June.

The report also states that Apple suppliers are calling the 5.5-inch model the “iPhone Air.” This device would join Mac’s line-up that also consists of an iPad Air and a MacBook Air.