News & Reviews:   Apple iPhone 6

Apple's upcoming Apple iPhone 6 still has yet to be announced but the rumours are already swirling in the rumour mill. This includes rumours that the iPhone 6 will have a 4.7-inch edge to edge screen, a home button physically integrated into the display (meaning it wouldn't be a separate button) and have an organic radical battery that has a high energy density and a recharging time of nearly 30 seconds. This battery will feature higher power, smaller size and be more environment friendly.

While the Apple iPhone 6 is expected sometime in September 2014, many are saying that it will take design cues from the current Apple iPhone 5C. With that in mind, designer Martin Hajek has come out with some interesting concept renders for the Apple iPhone 6s and Apple iPhone 6c. While they look good, we think that the iPhone 6s concept render is too much of a drastic departure (especially the rounded corners) from the current design for it to be realistic. Check it out for yourself in this article.

A roadmap stating when we might see Apple's upcoming products has appeared from KGI Research. Granted, it isn't a leaked semi-official roadmap from Apple but it does come from a source that has generally been accurate when it comes to predicting what Apple will do. The roadmap reveals that Apple may come out with a 4.7-inch Apple iPhone 6 in Q3 of 2014 while a 5.5-inch Apple iPhone will come during Q4 of 2014. Before that, the analysts go on to predict that the Apple iWatch smartwatch could be coming before the iPhone but still in Q3 of 2014. No news yet on pricing or Malaysia release dates but do remember that this is very much a rumour still, so do take it with a good pinch of salt.

The rumour mill continues on as more details about the Apple iPhone 6 crop up, this time in the form of schematics, sketches and even some renders from said sketch. The schematics in particular seem to confirm a 4.7-inch version and a 5.7-inch version, right down to the exact measurements. The 4.7-inch version will have 137 x 66 x 7mm measurements while the 5.7-inch version will go for 157 x 77 x 6.7mm. Apart from the schematics, sketches of the Apple iPhone 6 have also appeared, which designer Martin Hajek promptly turned into renders. None of the images, be it the schematics or sketches have been confirmed though so do take this with a good piece of salt. No news on Malaysia release dates or pricing as well but these are still very early days so stay tuned for more updates.

You know how people predict all sorts of radical changes to the next Apple iPhone and Apple almost always deadpans them by just adding on a little bit here and a little bit there to the overall design. Well, Sam Beckett here is a designer who seems to be following that Apple spirit to the letter as he has come up with an Apple iPhone 6 or iPhone Air concept video which looks and sounds very close to how Apple would do it. Tech specs and features listed in the video include a 4.7-inch sapphire crystal display with full HD 1080p resolution, a chassis which is 7mm thin and a design that is just 8% larger than the current Apple iPhone 5S. A 10MP OIS camera is the only tech spec which seems far fetched in this case, but you can check out the video for yourself in this article.

A fairly realistic rumour has cropped up about the Apple iPhone 6, which should be announced in a couple more months which say that Apple will probably keep the 8MP rear camera it already has but change the sensor aperture to f/2.0. Previously the camera sensor on the Apple iPhone 5S was set at f/2.2 while the Apple iPhone 5 had an f/2.4 aperture. The change for the Apple iPhone 5S resulted in more light coming in to the sensor and improving low light shots. A change to f/2.0 aperture would mean even better low-light performance. Other rumours indicate that the camera would have a 6p sapphire lens with the CMOS sensor expected to be manufactured by Sony. This rumour certainly sounds like something Apple would do, despite so many users asking for a 13MP rear camera upgrade. However, since it is a rumour still, do remember to take it with a good grain of salt, as a rumour is still a rumour until proven.

Based on current reports and rumours, Apple could be making or looking into a larger screen size for the Apple iPhone 6. These rumours point towards a 4.7-inch display with 1080 x 1920 pixel resolution and a 5.5-inch display with 1280 x 2272 pixel resolution. While there aren't any other tech specs, the displays will probably be made using IGZO technology which has better colours and energy efficiency. Based on these reports, the Concepts iPhone team of Enrico Penello and Ran Avni has come up with a concept video looking at how a larger screen could appear with the Apple iPhone 6. While the main design remains the same, the screen size is much larger and could offer Apple more opportunities in the larger screen smartphone market. However, Apple are also more likely to retain the 4-inch standard display form factor rather than replace it. Check out the video in the article for yourself.

We've all heard Sapphire Glass being used in smartphones (more notably as the covering for the Apple iPhone 5S Touch ID fingerprint scanner), but few realize just how tough it really is. While it may be seen as a premium and expensive material, the Sapphire glass being used is actually a synthetic sapphire much like zirconia is to diamond. Sapphire glass is also noted as being only second to diamond in terms of hardness and is commonly used in shatter resistant windows in armored vehicles and in the video below, it has been fitted to an Apple iPhone and then scraped with a rough concrete block. Check it out for yourself below and petition your favourite smartphone maker for it as Apple is already rumoured to be doing so for the next Apple iPhone 6.

While we think it is still a bit premature to speculate on Apple iPhone 6 tech specs, this hasn't stopped the Apple iPhone 6 rumours from coming. This batch of rumours comes from an online retailer saying that it was from checking out Apple's supply chain. These tech specs and features include a 10MP+ camera with f/1.8 aperture. The rumour also says that the camera will have interchangeable resin lenses which were not only covered in a recent Apple iPhone patent but also actually exist already in the form of ARTON resin lenses. It seems plausible that we could see the interchangeable resin lenses then, but it seems unlikely that they'll just offer a 10MP camera as the next model after 8MP camera sensors tend to be 13MP and above. That being said, take this rumour with a good amount of salt as Apple tends to be very conservative when it comes to hardware upgrades.

Amidst rumours that Apple is testing 4.7-inch and larger screens for the Apple iPhone 6, one Wall Street analyst thinks Apple have finally made a decision. According to said analyst, Timothy Arcuri, Apple will make the Apple iPhone 6 with a 4.8-inch screen. He says he reached this conclusion based on Apple's supply chain. This matches with other rumours which said that the iPhone 6 would indeed go for a larger screen but not go as big as 5 inches. Arcuri goes on to say that the iPhone 6 will offer tech specs that include the latest WiFi which is 802.11ac. While the operating system will still likely be iOS 7, the software will be updated to include integration with iBeacon, Passbook and more TouchID. He also expects more 64-bit features asides from the TouchID fingerprint scanner. These analysts predict the Apple iPhone 6 coming in June with a possible 13-inch Apple iPad expected in late 2014.