News & Reviews:   Apple iPhone 6 announce

The giant rumour mill continues, this time with a rumour about the next Apple iPhone, which many are saying could be coming in 4.7-inches or going phablet-sized with a 5.7-inch display. Recent reports have come up saying that Apple may announce these new iPhone models in May 2014 with a Malaysia release date expected later in the year (probably Q3). Other tech specs and features that may come with the new models include rumours that they will be using the same A7 processor in the Apple iPhone 5S but no news if these processors will be tweaked or overclocked or just the same old 1.3GHz. Other rumours indicate that these larger sized Apple phones could be a completely new range rather than the next version of the Apple iPhone, which would be iPhone 6. As always, do take this rumour with a pinch of salt, as the jump in display size is rather large for Apple, who are fairly conservative when it comes to a design that isn't broken.

While we've yet to hear any concrete reports on the rumoured Apple iPhone 6 and possible 12.9-inch Apple iPad, rumours about the release date have surfaced quite regularly. Just like before, the latest release date rumours come from the supply chain or the manufacturers making the parts of these upcoming Apple devices. According to these sources, the Apple iPhone 6 could be coming in May 2014 with tech specs that include a 20nm 64-bit processor, beating the previous 28nm fabrication process of the Apple A7 processor. No news on naming for the processor yet, but it could just as well be an A7X or overclocked version of the previous processor. Others are saying the new iPhone could also bump the screen size up to 4.7-inches or 5.5-inches but these larger sized models are rumoured for Q3 of 2014. The supposedly larger 12.9-inch display Apple iPad version supposedly known as the iPad Pro may be released in October 2014 and is headed for select business and educational markets. As always do take this rumour with a pinch of salt.

Seemingly catching up with the rest of the refocusing cameraphone crowd, Apple have recently filed a patent for a camera technology which allows Lytro-like effects. Similar to the refocusing effect in Nokia's PureView cameras and some Sony Xperia cameraphones, the technology basically allows users to take a shot and then refocus it on any point or object in the picture. The technology in Apple's patent is different from Lytro in that it offers a high-resolution non-refocusable mode along with a low-resolution refocusable mode. While the patent is for a new camera sensor, it also covers an add-on version for any existing camera. This could mean we would see it come out for the Apple iPhone 6 or as an accessory for all camera equipped Apple devices.

Some people just can't wait for Apple to come out with the next big thing for their iPhone smartphones and with some 3D rendering skill show off what they think are the new features to come. Suffice to say, with the next iPhone being the Apple iPhone 6, quite a lot of concept renders have come up about it. This includes a number of neat features including edge-to-edge displays, built-in lazer keyboards and pico projectors, retinal scanners, 3D cameras, surround sound and many more. We've listed a few of the better looking ones in this article so come and check them out.

The rumour mill for Apple's next iPhone model or models has kicked up another interesting tidbit. While there are already rumours that a 5-inch Apple iPhone 6 could be on it's way, a published report was noted as saying that there will be 2 such versions, one with a 4.7-inch screen and the other with a 5-inch screen. What makes this even more interesting is that the screens will be curved downward at the edges. Other tech specs and features include sensors which would detect the amount of pressure for each touch so it could differentiate between a heavy or light touch. The report goes on further to state that the 2 new larger display curved screen Apple iPhones could be released in Q3 of 2014 which matches with this year's iPhone launch. As normal of such rumours, do take this with a pinch of salt, especially if you've been secretly hoping for a larger iPhone.

Tech industry analysts just love making predictions, especially about the next smartphone or tablet, so naturally there are a whole bunch of such predictions for the Apple iPhone 6 which is due next year in 2014. These predictions include tech specs and features such as a 5-inch display with 1080 x 1920 pixel resolution for a 440 ppi pixel density. According to some analysts this screen will be made by LG and the iPhone 6 will be announced in September 2014. Other features include an ultra narrow bezel for a nearly edge-to-edge screen and easier one-handed operation for such a large display. Analysts also expect the Touch ID fingerprint sensor to remain although it remains unclear if Apple will maintain the 64-bit A7 processor.

While the Apple iPhone 6 is only expected in 2014, already rumours have surfaced regarding this smartphone. This time around rumour mongers are almost certain that Apple will increase the screen size to a 4.8-inch display compared to the current 4-inch display, which is rather dated compared to other smartphones which have gone to 4.5-inch to 4.7-inch or all the way to 5-inch displays. The rumour comes courtesy of various analysts mentioning a larger screen Apple iPhone. Like all rumours for next year, we advocate that you take a big pinch of salt with this as it seems more like wishful thinking than anything concrete, and so much can change in a year. Unfortunately, no other tech specs or exact Malaysia release dates details were available but stay tuned and we'll keep you posted.

Concept renderers often predict what may happen in the future when a new smartphone, tablet or other device hasn't appeared just yet. As you can expect some are accurate while some are just plain fantasy. One fantasy concept render of the Apple iPhone 6 has recently appeared showing completely bezel free edge to edge usage of a flexible screen in a super thin housing. While the initial design retains many of the aspects for an iPhone it doesn't really show why anyone would find a use for such a display. Personally, we'd be wondering where to grip the darn thing but it does offer a cool concept render of a customizable phone interface where you could define where the controls on the sides would be and for what purpose.

Smartphone concept renders are often indicators of what the actual smartphone maker would do but these transforming Apple iPhone 6 concept renders by designer Pritesh Chavan is a bit beyond what we're expecting from Apple. Utilising flexible screens that fold out as needed from a 4.2-inch smartphone to a 5.8-inch phablet to a 7.5-inch tablet the concept relies on technology that isn't there just yet. While we agree that it would certainly be cool this would more likely be the Apple iPhone 7 or 8 than next year's Apple iPhone 6. For more information and renders go check out the concept at the designer's site.

A while back, Apple patented a wraparound display for a smartphone which cropped up as rumours for the next Apple iPhone design. Well, we're not saying that this really will happen for the Apple iPhone 6, but someone went that extra mile to bring us some realistic renders of a wraparound Apple iPhone 6 concept.

According to this concept, this wraparound Apple iPhone 6 will have a resolution of 1615 x 1800 pixels, a Facetime HD front facing camera, NFC support and a Lightning connector. The video render also shows some possible gestures and other features with the wraparound phone.