We've been staring intently at the countdown timer for the Apple event, which starts in a few hours' time but before Apple exec take the stage it's time to summarize what we've seen of the upcoming handset and what (little) there is left unknown.
iPhone 6, the 4.7" one
We're most certain of this one – the new iPhone 6 will have a 4.7" screen and will look like a large iPod Touch. After so many leaks of various devices – both real components and even some convincing knock-offs. Last year we saw knock-offs nail the iPhone 5c design way before it came out so it won't be surprising if they nail the new design too. In fact with all the leaks aligning so perfectly, it will be more surprising if they don't.
At any rate Apple uses a design twice (original and S version) before moving no to the next one and it's right on schedule. The iPhone 5 brought a bigger, higher-res screen and now the iPhone 6 will make it even bigger. It will bump up the resolution to 960 x 1,704, 50% more pixels on the horizontal and the vertical, which will push the sharpness to the 400+ ppi range.
The new aluminum unibody is slated to be thinner – 7mm claim rumors (down from 7.6mm) but will remain light (virtually the same weight). From videos we've seen the new-found thinness will leave the camera module sticking out of the back.
Speaking of the camera, the most common rumor is of an 8MP shooter – for a third time in a row. When Sony uses its 20.7MP camera three times in a row we don't complain much, but 8MP is too low for a 2014 flagship, even HTC gave up on its low-resolution approach.
And there's no hint at 2160p video capture. True, it's not very useful right now but with UHD TVs becoming cheaper and cheaper Apple can't afford to wait much longer. A 128GB storage option is on the cards – it didn’t pan out in previous years but this time it's quite likely and it could have easily handled the increased video storage demands.
For a while there it seemed like Apple might drop the 32GB option and go for a base 16GB model and a premium 64GB version, presumably with a single $100 price bump in between.
The chipset will naturally get upgraded – no boastful numbers, a dual-core 2GHz processor is most likely but Apple makes its own high-performance beasts and optimizes iOS specifically for them. Interestingly the new iPhone 6 might bring 2GB RAM, which might turn out more important than CPU speed.
Yet another dedicated co-processor, Phosphorus, might debut with the new chipset. It will replace the M8 and focus on collecting health-statistics.
Apple will naturally take the opportunity to increase battery capacity to 1,810mAh (supposedly) to feed the bigger screen and faster chipset. The company has the luxury to optimize for battery life more so than Android manufacturers but Sony managed to cram a 2,600mAh battery in its 4.6" super mini while Samsung went with a 1,860mAh battery for the premium Galaxy Alpha.
So, what's left? Apple has steered clear of NFC, preferring its own Air Drop tech instead. Tech publications have been abuzz with talk of an Apple payment system though – turning your phone into your credit card and while the likes of Google haven't had much luck with that, Apple might pull it off. That will require NFC though.
Waterproofing is another big question – we've seen plenty of allusions to it but it will be a first for Apple. In terms of durability, there's some uncertainty if Apple will pull off the rumored sapphire glass protection for the screen or not.
iPhone 6, the 5.5" one
Apple has said it won't release a phablet but it said much the same thing about small tablets before announcing the iPad mini and about increasing the smartphone scree size before debuting the iPhone 5. The iPhone 6 with a 5.5" screen, the iPhone 6 Pro according to some, might take on the role of an even smaller tablet with apps that are optimized for landscape mode.
The resolution on that one will be 2,208 x 1,242 compared to 2,048 x 1,536 for the iPad Air – definitely sharper but at 16:9 aspect ratio rather than iPad's traditional 4:3. The sapphire glass protection might be exclusive to the big iPhone, leaving the 4.7" model with traditional Gorilla Glass.
A separate chipset is likely for the 5.5" iPhone 6 than its smaller sibling – more GPU cores almost certainly to deal with the extra pixels. Another big iPhone 6 exclusive might prove to be the 128GB storage, while the smaller one is capped at 64GB.
With some extra room in the chassis Apple might implement its first optical image stabilization for the camera. So far the company has used digital stabilization (one of the best, but still with plenty of limitations) but there's no beating the real deal. There's no information to suggest the camera resolution will be higher, though.
From all this it becomes clear that the 5.5" iPhone 6 will be positioned as the premium offering. With the first 4.7" rumors it seemed like Apple is finally ready to embrace the big screen but if the 5.5" model is its top citizen it's bound to send shockwaves across the iPhone world.
Rumor has it that the big iPhone will launch at the end of the year, a couple of months after the 4.7" model. This will give it some breathing room when the initial buying frenzy occurs.
But it might also be due to manufacturing issues – sapphire glass, OIS cameras, bigger aluminum unibodies are not easy to pull off. So it might not all be pure business strategy from Apple.
iWatch
If you've been reading tech blogs recently you'll have read plenty of claims that the iWatch will insta-kill Android Wear. One thing is for sure though, if Apple puts out a smartwatch Jony Ive will have designed an absolute beauty.
But it's not looks that proved to be the biggest issue with Android Wear – the Moto 360 and LG G Watch R have looks in spades. What caused a collective groan was poor battery life, the Motorola smartwatch just about makes it through a day.
Apple is known for its perfectionism though and a battery life is essential to a smartwatch. Worryingly, we've heard that Apple employees aren't talking up great battery life, it might prove little better than what the Androids are getting.
Still, with Apple's push towards a health ecosystem a watch is vital – it counts your steps, it measures your heart rate, it goes everywhere with you. Health is a big part of the smartwatch promise, Samsung is certainly pushing hard.
The big question is what will the iWatch look like – there are concepts of bands, round watches, square watches but there's no certainty about the design like there is about the iPhone 6. Again, industrial design is Apple's bread and butter so we're not worried, just curios what all the hype is about.
One thing you can bet on though – the iWatch will only work with iOS devices. Even normally open Android is restricted in that sense, Android Wear works only with Android devices. It all has to do with how notifications are pulled from the phone and pushed to the watch.
Apple certainly showed off some impressive syncing between iOS and OS X – start a message on your Mac, finish it on your iPhone. Even Microsoft has failed to pull that off despite its dominance on the desktop. Such seamless transition to the iWatch from other devices could be its ace in the hole, not the design.
There's going to be a dedicated section of the App Store just for iWatch apps. It remains to be seen how much control Apple will give developers (if we had to guess, not much).
What will be announced
As we said, the 4.7" iPhone 6 is all but certain – the mountain of leaks is too big to be wrong. As for the 5.5" iPhone 6 – we're sure Apple is experimenting with it but it remains to be seen if the factories can put it together. If Apple unveils its first phablet it's more than likely that it will ship later than the smartphone.
Info from Russia suggest the 4.7" iPhone 6 will cost RUB 30,000 ($810), while the 5.5" model will start at RUB 35,500 ($940). The top-specced 128GB model can be a whopping RUB 45-50,000 ($1,210-$1,350).
The iWatch is the least likely – it's not the first time we've heard such rumors and the rumor mill has very little to show. Keep in mind the rumors might have been misinterpreted – Apple Health proved to be a collaboration with other companies rather than an Apple device or hardware feature. Could the iWatch be the same?
The iWatch might launch between the two iPhones in October. The rumored price is $300, the higher-end of the Android Wear scale.
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