iPhone 6S or 7 Rumours

Forbes back in July reported that a leaked internal email from Vodaphone identified that the new iPhone would be available to pre-order from September 18^th . This wouldn’t be the first time release dates have been “leaked” and then subsequently wrong but the date is consistent with Apple’s usual September launches. We’d imagine the official launch date will be around 6-9^th September.

The iPhone 6S or straight to the iPhone 7?

There were rumours that Apple were considering skipping the 6S and moving straight to the 7. This was largely put down to the fact that the advancements on the 6 were so great that it warranted a jump. However, leaked drawings (believe what you will) and the latest reports suggest we are much more likely to see an iPhone 6S.

Touch ID

The next iPhone looks certain to feature great improvements on the current touch ID system. As Apple pay becomes more prominent and is pushed further we’re expecting to see the touch ID function much more smoothly and all bugs to be ironed out whilst security also increased. Whilst this may not be the most exciting upgrade ever, when security and functionality are taken into account it’s a decent upgrade.

Introduction of the A9 chip

Apple’s rather bizarre partnership with Samsung could see the introduction of the A9 chip. Leaked images from the Chinese production line look to show space for a newly designed, darker chip and it appears much has changed under the hood for Apple. The A9 chip will be much faster and use less battery whilst also providing greater capabilities for improved resolution and camera quality. Again all things you’d expect from a new chip but a welcomed addition nonetheless.

Force Touch

The latest rumours suggest that the latest iPhone is going to be slightly thicker (0.2mm) to allow for the introduction of force touch. Force Touch, which is used in Apple watches, detects how hard you press the screen and allows different actions to be carried out accordingly. For example during video playback, the harder you press the fast forward arrow will control the speed in which the video is playing. This is one of the ways Apple is trying to improve user functionality and advancements in the next few years could eventually see the end for the home button.

The camera is likely to see a vast jump in quality. The new A9 processor will allow for a 12 MP. According to John Gruber during an episode of the talk show the new design, which incorporates 2 lenses will be able to perform at the quality levels of a DSLR which will put the new iPhone right up there with the best camera phones on the market. The rumours are that the rear camera will also feature a new microphone which will improve the audio on videos.

Sapphire Glass

The iPhone 6 was widely reported to feature this scratch-resistant glass but cost and production issues got in the way. Could we finally see sapphire glass which is used on the iWatch become a feature of the phones as well?

What could the iPhone 7 feature if they skip the 6S

A few ideas have been thrown out for what this could feature; one being that Apple will do away with the headphone/Aux jack in their quest to streamline and lighten the phone. All sound would be directed wirelessly or through the lightning port. Another rumour being mooted is that the next iPhone won’t have any side buttons. Instead, one side will feature stereo-quality speakers, enabling a better sound & video experience in landscape whilst the other side will feature touch-sensitive areas which will control features on the phone.

Whilst these are pretty cool new features it looks like we won’t see them this time around, unfortunately.  Instead, an iPhone 6S release looks far more probable. Despite rumours of 3 different-sized models, it looks like Apple will stick with the 2 for now but we could see a slight variant in size. Whilst none of these updates appear to be ground-breaking, this is generally the norm with iPhone S updates & the upgrades will provide a much faster, smoother and more efficient beefed-up version of the iPhone 6. The foundations appear to have been laid to see a vastly improved and differently designed iPhone 7.