A source “familiar with Apple’s supply chain” has provided 9to5Mac with the clearest images of the iPhone 6S yet. What’s immediately obvious is that the 6S will maintain the same frame as the iPhone 6, contradicting rumours of a dual-camera setup.
But this leak only relates to the 4.7-inch device, there’s nothing on the larger 5.5-inch iPhone, so other - more major - changes could be saved for Apple’s phablet. But don’t count on it, the 5.5-inch, just as its smaller sibling, will likely also be an incremental upgrade too.
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So, what does this leak reveal about the next iPhone? It’s practicaly identical to the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 in shape and design. From the rear-camera placement, to the speaker and headphone-jack arrangement on the bottom of the device, there’s no visible exterior change I can see from the photos provided.
The source wasn’t forthcoming with exact dimensions, but they did say that any possible differences are “too minimal to notice”, as 9to5Mac puts it. This, I imagine, is good news for case-makers (and case-owners looking to upgrade) who can breathe a sigh of relief that they won’t have to hurriedly put together a new batch of size-adjusted accessories.
How, then, do we know that this is a leak of the upcoming iPhone 6S and not just a picture of the current Apple flasgship? 9to5Mac points out that the leak reveals slightly different mounting points (below) for the new logic board.
Not much to go on
Despite the clarity of the pictures, we’re still largely in the dark about the iPhone 6S. The images don’t confirm or refute previous non-design related leaks. Although they do put to rest the dual-lens camera rumour for this generation (it might still be the case for the iPhone 7).
With that, it seems as if the major change in the upcoming 6S won’t be an additional lens, but the widely reported inclusion of Force Touch control, which triggers multiple functions depending on pressure applied to the display.
It’s already available in some Macbooks and the Apple Watch, and remains the most likely upgrade that’s supposed to pique the interest of potential upgraders, whilst differentiating itself from the rest of the market.
Other likely changes come in the form of performance upgrades, with the 6S boasting 2GB LPDDR4 of RAM and a pixel upgrade for the camera to 12MP. KGI Securities analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo, told investors in May that he expects 11 new features in the next iPhone, check out Gordon Kelly’s breakdown of each feature here.
