Last week a major iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus report revealed 11 new features and now the biggest of them appear to be nailed on…
New research data from Citi Research has been leaked to Business Insider and it dovetails almost exactly with the 11 reveals last week from highly respected KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo
In fact Kuo’s seven biggest points are all reconfirmed by Citi - both good and bad:
- Screen sizes will remain at 4.7 and 5.5 inches with the same resolutions
- The big disappointment for many: there will be no new 4-inch model [an iPhone 6C is still possible]
- Force Touch input will debut on the iPhone 6Ses, following on from its introduction on the
Apple Watch and MacBook Pro - A new A9 processor (Citi adds this will bring a 25% speed bump and be built by Samsung)
- RAM doubled for both phones from 1GB to 2GB
- An upgraded 12 megapixel camera
- Increased structural rigidity with a new, stronger aluminium alloy chassis which will finally kill off ‘bendgate’
iPhone 6 (right) vs Galaxy S6 - Samsung's upgrades have put pressure on the iPhone 6S. Image credit... [+]
Read more - Galaxy S6 Vs iPhone 6 Review: Samsung Uses Apple To Beat Apple
Citi also agree with Kuo that the 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch iPhone 6es will again be huge hits for Apple. Kuo believes 80-90m units will be shifted in 2015 alone and Citi echos this citing a 34% growth in shipments over the iPhone 6, which itself achieved 50% growth over the iPhone 5S.
Then again what will strike a chord is talk Apple will continue to ignore the 4-inch form factor which proved so popular with the iPhone 5/5S. This will prove a bitter pill to swallow for many not swept up by the bigger is better smartphone craze.
Where They Disagree/Question
Despite the overwhelming consensus of both Kuo and Citi, there are some notable differences.
- Citi has no comment on Kuo’s belief that a luxury rose gold version of the iPhone 6S will appear
- Citi believes Apple will opt for
Corning ’s Gorilla Glass 4 (as seen in the Galaxy S6) whereas Kuo believes sapphire may make an appearance (at least in the camera lens) - Kuo states that widespread gesture control will appear on both phones to make navigation easier on their larger screen sizes while Citi dodged this completely
- Kuo also says an upgraded Touch ID sensor will be introduced on both phones to pull away from the gains made by Samsung on the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge. Citi again had no comment here.
Read more - Apple iOS 8.3 Angers Users One Week Later
All of which begs the question: what should you believe?
Growing Expectations
The obvious point to make is: aren’t these all just guesses and might one simply be copying the other? The short answer is: it’s possible.
Then again Kuo is consistently accurate and Citi are no mugs. Both have reputations to protect and there seems little point in either resorting to idle guesswork for the long term damage it would do.
Read more - iPhone 6 Vs One M9 Review: HTC Bungles Apple Hunt
Furthermore the claims/projections here all make perfect sense. There’s nothing outlandish or illogical and I’d argue that most are close to nailed on. Especially given the gains rivals have made this year in terms of speed, security and - most notably - camera quality. Though 4-inch iPhone fans will feel let down.
Interestingly there are separate claims Apple may rush the iPhone 6es to market early, though that would seem an unnecessary move given its market position has never been stronger.
Pressure Builds On Force Touch
Regardless of the wait, however, one thing is becoming abundantly clear: while the iPhone 6S models will look outwardly similar, inside it is going to be all change.
The most crucial will be Force Touch. It is a differentiator with the potential to further crush its rivals or - as some have argued with the Apple Watch - introduce an unnecessary new level of complication.
As such it is the implementation of Force Touch which Apple has to get absolutely right. Do it and, who knows, even the most ardent fans of small iPhones could be won over...
Read more - Apple iOS 8.3 Has 3 Great Secret Features
___
