iPhone 6S Rumors: August 2015 Release Date Likely As Analysts Predict Key Specs And Feature Upgrades

As the iPhone 6S unpacking nears, rumored details about the device pop up almost ceaselessly. The latest news indicates an earlier release date for the next iPhone, while analysts continue to offer concrete visions of what the handset will be.

Fresh news from Asia picked up first by G4Games now points to an advanced iPhone 6S touchdown this 2015. Instead of the usual September release for Apple’s flagship phone, the unboxing could happen a month earlier -- August, that is. And when the device is ready to hit the market, it will be loaded with more than the expected incremental upgrades, one analyst said.

Yield Looks Promising

Already, supply-chain sources are saying that production output for most of the components to be used in the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus has exceeded ideal levels. Apple has also ramped up its orders of these materials, which signals two things.

First, the tech giant is prepping to manufacture large amounts of the new iPhone model, G4Games said. This is in line with the earlier forecast issued by Ming-chi Kuo of KGI Securities -- that in the fourth quarter of 2015 Apple will ship out around 90 million freshly minted iPhones, the majority of which will be the upcoming edition.

Second, it may be the iPhone maker is planning something that surely Apple fans will be delighted about -- advancing the projected arrival of the iPhone 6 replacement by at least a month, from September to August, as mentioned above. Such a possibility, though, is not yet written in stone, and Apple, as usual, remains silent on the matter.

Massive 6S Bump-Ups

While Apple routinely dismisses rumors and refuses to comment on speculation, watchers of the company are only happy to fill in the void. Joining Kuo in sketching the next iPhone is research firm Citi, which in a note claimed that the iPhone 2015 refresh is more than fans are anticipating.

Largely echoing the loads of leaked specs and features provided recently by KGI, Citi, according to Business Insider, counted at least six new exciting treats that Apple fans will get:

• The 6S will mostly mirror that of the iPhone 6 build and design but the casing material is more robust thanks to the 7000 series aluminium. As a result the newer device is 60% harder than the last make.
• Two models are coming out as Apple will surely want to replicate or even surpass the record-busting sales performance so far of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. There was no mention of the rumored 4-inch iPhone 6C.
• From 8MP, the main iPhone camera is getting a 12MP sensor across the board, Citi said, essentially reflecting the earlier claim made by Kuo.
• Snappier and faster the next iPhone will be and the improvement is because of these upcoming upgrades: A9 chip, 2GB of RAM and iOS 9.
• Sturdier screen protection is part of the 6S package and Citi said the choice of glass coating is a toss between Gorilla Glass 4 or sapphire.
• Force Touch sensor is becoming an Apple device standard so the next iPhone will most certainly adopt the feature, Citi said. In April, Kuo noted that the major upgrades to be loaded with the 2015 iPhone are mainly due to the planned use of Force Touch with the device.

Now all these predictions will either hit or miss, and only Apple, having the last word, can confirm. And that likely will happen immediately after the iPhone 6S release date, which, if the latest reports are correct, will happen in early Q3 2015.

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