To help make sense of the chaotic hearsay, we’ll collect every rumor that surfaces about the iPhone 6s, from its reported specs to its guesstimated release date, and everything in between—as well as try to discern the plausibly of the rumor. It’s been a long, rumor-packed summer, but Apple will finally take the wraps off its new phones on Sept. 9. Until then, here are the latest and greatest rumors to tide you over.
The rumor: Your iPhone 6s or 6s Plus probably won’t look any different from the 2014 model, but it may have an overhauled rear camera. The rumored 12-megapixel count in the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, a huge upgrade from the 8 megapixels in the 2014 models, will shoot bigger high-resolution photos but won’t degrade the image quality, sources told 9to5Mac. A revamped front-facing camera will be able to shoot panoramas and slow motion video.
The new iPhones are also getting a serious video boost with the ability to record 4K-resolution video. Filmmakers are already using the iPhone to shoot full-length features, and this boost in quality will be a huge step forward.
Plausible Reports of a 12-megapixel sensor and 4K video recording capabilities have been circulating for months now, and as more and more details emerge, it seems like the new iPhones’ big selling point (and major reason for buyers to upgrade) will be the camera quality. People are now shooting and recording themselves constantly, so the iPhone could set itself apart with better tools to enable that behavior.
The rumor: The Apple Watch’s gorgeous animated wallpapers might be heading to the iPhone, unnamed sources told 9to5Mac. That means instead of selecting from the static photos Apple offers for iPhone backgrounds (which are also beautiful, don’t get us wrong), you’ll be able to pick a moving image similar to the jellyfish and flowers you see on the Apple Watch’s motion watch faces.
Plausible Definitely. The iPhone 6s is reportedly getting a beefed up display equipped with Force Touch, similar to the Apple Watch’s display, and that technology will reportedly support the same stunning animated wallpapers. A leaked photo of an iPhone 6s Plus box with a gold koi fish now seems more legit—the moving fish could be the default iPhone background out of the box.
The rumor: A new report from TechCrunch claims that the case of the forthcoming iPhone 6s will measure 1.9mm, compared to 1.14mm on the iPhone 6. Surprisingly, this new sturdier case is also 2 grams lighter, suggesting that Apple is switching to using 7000 series aluminum that it first used on the Apple Watch Sport.
Plausible ”Bendgate” was of the biggest complaints when the iPhone 6 first launched, and it makes sense that Apple wouldn’t want to repeat that scenario this time around. Now that Apple has used the sturdier but lighter 7000 series aluminum on the Watch Sport also makes it likely that the company will look into incorporating the new material on the iPhone.
The rumor: For only the second time in history, Apple will be making its iPhone thicker. This week 9to5Mac uncovered some CAD drawings that show both upcoming iPhone models being 0.2mm thicker than their current counterparts. (Trivia hounds may remember that the iPhone 3G was 0.02 inches thicker than the original iPhone.) If these drawings are true, the iPhone 6s will be 7.1mm thick, as opposed to the current model’s 6.9mm. Similarly, the iPhone 6s Plus goes from from 7.1mm to 7.3mm.
Plausible 9to5Mac speculates that the increase could be Apple’s response to “bendgate” or to give the new iPhones a larger battery. A more sturdy iPhone with longer battery life Sound like very good enough reasons for the additional thickness. Engadget Japan also backs this rumor, adding that the 0.2 millimeters are needed to accomodate for Force Touch (read more about that rumor below).
The rumor: Your next iPhone might not have a Home button. Wait, what 9to5Mac has a report, sourced from the “variably reliable DigiTimes,” claiming that Apple is developing single-chip solutions to integrate touch and display drivers.
What does that mean That the display could have a “whole plane design” that could theroretically eliminate the Home button. Instead, you’d touch a sensor embedded in the screen, which could recognize not just that you’re tapping it, but your unique fingerprint too, similar to what Touch ID does now.
Plausible Any technology that can make the iPhone thinner and with a more beautiful display is something Apple would pursue. This could be a step toward edge-to-edge displays that don’t need such a large “chin” to accomodate the Home button, which would mean Apple could make the overall phone smaller without sacrificing the nice, large screen sizes we’ve come to love. But DigiTimes isn’t always accurate, and this kind of advancement could take a while to happen.
We doubt the next iPhone would ditch the Touch ID button—which is integral to Apple Pay, after all—even if it brings in a Force Touch feature like Apple has rolled out for the Apple Watch and new Force Touch trackpads.
The rumor: Following the introduction of Force Touch and haptic feedback on the Apple Watch and some MacBook trackpads, the iPhone 6s will be next to add these features. Force Touch on the iPhone 6s will allow you to launch turn-by-turn directions in Maps, view more track options in Music, and perform other quick functions by simply pressing more deeply on the screen.
Plausible In a recent article, The Wall Street Journal wrote that Force Touch is “expected” in the new devices, and this week 9to5Mac found some photos showing a small rectangle cut-out in the new iPhone display, possibly to make room for the taptic engine. Considering how quickly Force Touch was incorporated into MacBook trackpads, Apple seems very eager to bring this one feature consistently to all its products.
The rumor: Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities predicted that Apple will call its next iPhone the iPhone 7, rather than 6s, because it will have Force Touch, which is a big enough deal to merit a whole number, over the more incremental “better chip and camera” upgrades we usually get in “S” years.
Plausible We don’t entirely agree with that, since Touch ID debuted with the iPhone 5s, and Siri with the iPhone 4s, and those both proved pretty huge. In the past, Apple’s changed the number when it’s redesigned the case—iPhone 4, iPhone 5, and iPhone 6 all had different enclosures than the versions that
The rumor: Besides the additional 0.2 millimeters of thickness, don’t expect the iPhone 6s to look much different. 9to5Mac reportedly obtained images of the iPhone 6s metal casing, suggesting that it will be a near replica of the current iPhone, down to those unsightly antenna lines.
Plausible Highly plausible! The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, after all, came with entirely new form-factors: Bigger screens, thinner bodies, even a relocated Sleep button. Apple typically only redesigns every other iPhone, then uses the same case for next year’s “S” version. So if that pattern holds, the next iPhone won’t look so different on the outside, even while it packs new features and a faster chip.
We haven’t heard specific rumors about these things just yet. But they’re always big questions Apple has to answer with any new iPhone, so we’ve got our ears to the ground...
New color A recent Wall Street Journal report suggested that Apple was looking to bring a fourth color option to the iPhone 6s in addition to the current silver, gold and space gray. A research note obtained by AppleInsider suggested that the new color would be rose gold to match the Apple Watch. Meanwhile others have suggested that the new color could be a far more daring pink.
Longer-lasting battery life This is just a guess, but it’ll probably be the same. Apple specified increased battery life as a feature of iOS 9, which means the company doesn’t necessarily have to jam in a larger battery to quote the same battery life estimates as the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.
Lightning or USB-C Lightning is pretty new. Keeping it around lets Apple continue to license it, whereas USB-C is an open standard. We applaud its arrival on the Mac—growing pains notwithstanding—but it might not be time yet for another big switch on the iOS side.
Smaller-screened iPhone 6c Rumors of a 4-inch iPhone 6c have been floating around for months, fueled by the release of powerful new iPods (that just so happen to be on the small side). But it sounds like Apple has no plans to release an iPhone mini anytime soon, 9to5Mac reported, even though the Cupertino company has been working on smaller prototypes. In fact, Apple might even pull the 5c from store shelves to focus on the higher-quality 5s, 6, and 6 Plus—and, of course, its 2015 models.