Is it the S year?

There was a time when Apple was the master of secrecy. Even their interns were not allowed to disclose the organisation they were working for – sort of like an American version of ‘Kingsman: Secret Service’, but not anymore. We’ll get to that part later, but what’s more important is that there is a new iPhone coming, Mr Wayne (well, pun intended).

The ‘S’

As the months pass by, details about the next-generation iPhone have begun trickling in. We'll settle on calling it the ‘iPhone 6S’ since it follows in the footsteps of the iPhone 3GS, 4S, and 5S, though Apple has been known to shake up its products' naming schemes from time-to-time. Because it's an ‘S’ year upgrade, and because the iPhone was just redesigned, the next-generation version will focus on internal improvements rather than on an updated external look. Screen sizes will remain at 4.7 and 5.5 inches. Apple is not expected to introduce a new 4-inch model.

There may be a few exterior changes, though. There's been a rumour that Apple might add a new colour option to its iPhone lineup in 2015 – pink. We've also seen two rumours suggesting Apple might opt to use the same 7000 series aluminum, which was used in the Apple Watch in the next-generation iPhone. The aluminum is 60 per cent stronger than standard aluminum but still lightweight.

In the past, ‘S’ upgrades have brought features like Siri, Touch ID, new processors, and camera improvements. We can expect to see many of the same updates with the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. Rumour has it that the new devices will gain a faster A9 processor, 2GB of RAM, a 12-megapixel camera with 4K video recording, an additional microphone to enhance voice quality, and potentially a new internal mechanical design to address some bending issues that users experienced with the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.

The 2015 iPhones are also expected to gain the Force Touch feature first introduced with the Apple Watch, allowing for new gestures that incorporate pressure sensitivity, and improved Touch ID to make fingerprint recognition faster. A report from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has also suggested Apple may use sapphire in a limited number of iPhone 6s Plus units, "if drop test issues can be resolved."

According to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the addition of Force Touch and 7000 series aluminum could slightly change the thickness and the dimensions of the iPhone 6s and the iPhone 6s Plus. He believes the iPhones may be wider and taller by about 0.15mm to account for the aluminum, and 0.2mm thicker due to the addition of Force Touch. The increase in height and thickness will be miimum or enough to be nearly undetectable to most iPhone users.

The iPhone 6s and 6s Plus will also continue to offer features that have become integral to the iPhone, including NFC for Apple Pay, 802.11ac Wi-Fi capabilities, and LTE Advanced. The two new phones will likely be available in the same 16, 64, and 128GB storage options as the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.

Leaks

Now, let’s get back to understanding why Apple is not keeping its secrets well. Thanks to a leaked internal email from major telecom carrier Vodafone, we now know that date will be September 25. Mobile News picked up the email, which laid out the launch information to staff, as well as when pre-orders will begin: September 18.

Interestingly, the email describes the handset as the ‘New iPhone’, which means we can’t 100 per cent say it will be called the iPhone 6S – but maybe ‘iPhone 7’ or even (taken literally) ‘New iPhone’, which seems extreme for a handset that is expected to have only minor visual changes from its predecessor (despite radical internal upgrades).

-With inputs from MacRumours