iPhone 6s to feature animated backgrounds like the Apple Watch

Apple is planning to bring the Apple Watch's artfully animated wallpapers to the forthcoming iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, according to new reports.

While Apple Watch owners are given a choice of animated jellyfish, butterflies and flowers backgrounds, the new phone wallpapers are reported to feature koi fish, flowers and coloured powdery smoke, according to 9to5Mac.

Pictures of what appears to be a yet-to-be-assembled iPhone 6s Plus box have been posted online on Chinese site cnBeta, complete with an image of a gold and black butterfly koi.

The iPhone 6s and 6s Plus are likely to benefit from a new 12MP camera, capable of shooting 4K video, with the front camera capable of recording 1080p video at 60fps, 240fps in slow motion mode and flash support.

The new phones are also expected to sport Force Touch technology, which detects how hard the user is pressing and allows different actions to be carried out accordingly. According to reports, the technology will allow menu "shortcuts" that enable users to find options on menus more quickly.

One of the most prevalent rumours is that the new generation of iPhones will see the introduction of a new rose-gold model.

Apple has sent out media invitations for a press event on Wednesday September 9, where chief executive Tim Cook is largely expected to introduce a revamped Apple TV box set alongside the new phones.

The new box is expected to feature a touch-pad remote, extra inbuilt storage and Siri voice control for browsing and selecting programmes and films to watch, in light of a recent patent filing.

The new box is expected to run a TV-optimised version of iOS 9 with a refreshed interface and, for the first time, may be opened up to the app community, with Apple expected to unveil a software development kit (SDK) that allows developers to build apps. At present, only a handful of third-party programs feature on the Apple TV and introducing an SDK and App Store would expand this significantly.

It will also support Homekit, after Apple confirmed that Apple TV would act as a central hub for its connected home appliances, including ecobee thermostats, lighting kits and smart sensors.

A leaked internal email from Vodafone staff suggests the new handsets will go on sale on September 25, with pre-orders being accepted from September 18.

Apple recently brought the Watch's animated flower wallpapers to life with hand-scuplted resin models in all 24 windows of Selfridges in London. Ranging from 200mm to 1.8 metres in height, the flowers included purple passion flowers, pink peoneys and white nigella.