The new iPhone could be one of the most pivotal devices in the Cupertino brand's history - with the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C simple updates to previous models, there's a lot of pressure heaped on the iPhone 6.
As
per usual, the internet is awash with rumor, speculation and downright
lies over this next-generation handset, which is why we spend our time
trawling through each nugget of info, debating its merits and curating
it into this easy-to-read hub for all things iPhone 6.
According to a survey of 4109 US consumers the iPhone 6 is the most anticipated Apple smartphone ever, with interest easily outstripping that of the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5.
We've
already been given a small sneak peak at what Apple may have in store
for us on the iPhone 6 thanks to the announcement of iOS 8 at WWDC - from a bigger screen and camera to health monitoring and more storage.
Some
of you might have been expecting the iPhone 6 to have debuted in 2013,
but given the iPhone's history - from the 3G onwards, there's always
been a half-step S model before the next numbered iPhone - we were never
going to get the 6 until 2014. In fact, it will technically be the
iPhone 8 when it finally launches... but hey, who's counting these days?
One thing is for sure, with the Samsung Galaxy S5, Sony Xperia Z2 and HTC One M8 now out in wild, Apple needs to be on its game with the new iPhone - and many believe a bigger screen is simply a must.
Cut to the chase What is it? A major revision of the iPhone including entire design When is it out? September 2014 seems most likely What will it cost? Expect premium pricing for a premium smartphone
iPhone 6 release date
The
iPhone 6 release date will be in 2014 and it's looking increasingly
likely that we'll see it in September, which would fit in nicely with
the rollout of the newly announced iOS 8.
Apple has
launched the last few iPhones at a special event in September, so the
smart money has always been on September 2014 for the iPhone 6's
arrival.
Not to mention the fact that according to ifun.de
Apple is restricting holidays during September for employees at German
Apple Stores, which strongly suggests a new hardware launch then.
It's
looking increasingly likely that we'll see more than one Apple handset
this year though. KGI's analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has thrown his hat into the
ring and seems to think
a duo of new iPhones will be released, with a 4.7-inch iPhone coming
out towards the end of the third quarter and a 5.5-inch iPhablet hitting
the market late in the fourth quarter.
Suggestions of both sizes arriving September could also hold water, though we've also heard that Apple has had trouble finding appropriate batteries for the 5.5-inch device and that as a result it might even slip into next year. After
trawling through all the iPhone 6 rumors we kicked our render machine
into gear and came up with a concept of what we'd like Apple's eighth
generation flagship smartphone to look like. Check out our creation in the video below.
iPhone 6 price
There's one thing we can be sure about when it comes to the iPhone 6 - it won't be cheap.
Apple's
legacy is a long line of premium devices sporting premium price tags
and you can expect that trend to continue with the iPhone 6.
One analyst even goes as far as predicting that Apple will hike up the price of the iPhone 6,
possibly by as much as $100 (around £60, AU$110). With a larger screen,
new glass covering the front and possibly even a new, more impressive,
material used in construction, we can see the price being hiked.
We'd
be surprised is the mooted 4.7-inch iPhone 6 would get such a massive
price bump, as it needs to stay competitive, but the hike does make
sense if Apple launches a larger, phablet sized iPhone.
Bigger screen(s)?
One of the most enduring rumors about the iPhone 6 is that it will have a bigger screen than the iPhone 5S.
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." According to Business Insider,
of the many iPhone 6 prototypes Apple has made, one has a giant Retina+
IGZO display and a "new form factor with no home button. Gesture
control is also possibly included." It will surely include Apple's new
Touch ID fingerprint tech though?
The Retina+ Sharp IGZO display would have
a 1080p Full HD resolution. However we're not convinced that the
prototype will make it to market. Ditching the home button would be a
big change and no other rumors point in that direction.
It
has however been widely reported that Apple could introduce two handset
sizes as it seeks to compete with the plethora of Android devices now
on the market - with both being a lot thinner thanks to big improvements in LED backlight technology to reduce the thickness.
With everything we've seen so far we reckon there will almost certainly be two screen sizes and resolutions, as mentioned above. The iPhone 5S display isn't full HDIn fact the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 has been tipped again alongside a larger 5.7-inch (or is that a QHD 5.5-inch screen?) model as part of Apple's double attack on the market following the 5S and 5C.
A Full HD display makes perfect sense for the iPhone 6, especially if it grows to a 4.7-inch screen as mooted, and the iPhablet will push things even further to preserve the Retina experience on a larger display.
While
we'd love to see the Quad HD resolution adorn the iPhone 6, the fact
it's such a great leap from the sub-720p Retina display on the 5S and 5C
makes it seem very unlikely.
The most recent resolution rumors come from insiders who claim that Apple has been testing a pixel-tripling display which would have a resolution of 1704 x 960.
That's
not quite full HD, but it would allow the phone to retain the iPhone
5S's 16x9 aspect ratio and give a 4.7 inch iPhone a pixel density of 416
pixels per inch and the rumored 5.5 inch phablet a density of 355
pixels per inch, both of which trump the 326ppi screen of the iPhone 5S. Will the iPhone 6 really take design cues from the iPad Nano?All
that said, while a 5.5 inch iPhone is certainly looking likely we may
have to wait longer than expected for it, as we're now hearing that the larger iPhone 6 has hit production problems, which may see it delayed until 2015.
The 4.7-inch version is said to still be on track with an images of a supposed iPhone 6 production mold and front plate sneaking onto the web
There's still a small possibility of the iPhone 6 sporting a flexible wraparound display after more patents were uncovered, but we reckon that's more likely to feature on the iPhone 7 or 8 instead.
An unbreakable display
Here's an interesting one: Apple looks like it's signed a big deal to use a lot of sapphire glass in its phones, with the company buying up enough to use the super-hard technology for its displays.
Sapphire
is already used by the Cupertino brand for its Touch ID sensor cover
and the camera glass, so extending it out makes a lot of sense. Whether
it will be cost effective remains to be seen - but given iPhones are one
of the top devices for broken screen repair, reducing this problem
would go down nicely.
However, there's an issue here: it's really expensive,
and as such seems like it would bump up the cost of the phone too much
for Apple, even though its customer base expects to pay a premium. Canonical's CEO thinks that the Cupertino firm has been buying up swathes of the material,
but that doesn't necessarily mean it will be used in the iPhone 6.
Instead could this be for the iWatch? Seems more likely than an entire
phone screen.
Apple even has a patent for an oleophobic (anti-smudge) coating
that works on sapphire crystal to ensure the surface doesn't get
covered in grubby fingerprints - exactly what you need if you're going
to cover the front of a phone with it, but again, we're inclined to
think that the equally prod-prone iWatch is a more likely candidate.
We're also hearing that it could even self heal,
with Apple trying to patent a special screen coating that could heal to
dramatically enhance the appearance of the iPhone 6, as well as other
Apple products.
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