iPhone 6 Rumor Roundup: Everything We Think We Know

It's iPhone time of the year again! Apple will reportedly show off the eighth generation of its flagship device today. If you believe the rumors, iPhone 6 will be one of the most dramatic updates to the iPhone line in quite some time.

Will it be bigger? Will it be faster? Will it be tougher? Will it float? We'll have to wait until the big reveal to know any of these answers for sure. And you can follow the play-by-play on our Liveblog—from the actual event this year. Here's what we think we know for now.

Our iPhone 6 Liveblog Starts Right Here Right Now

Welcome friends! Today, Apple's going to take the wrapping off of the iPhone 6, possibly a…

What will it be called?

Usually this piece of the equation is pretty predictable. After the iPhone 4 came the iPhone 4S. Then came the iPhone 5—and then the 5S and the 5C. So it's only natural to assume that Apple's new device will be called the iPhone 6.

Complicating matters a bit, though, is the frequent assertion that Apple will simultaneously introduce two different sizes of iPhone for the first time ever. If that's the case, it seems plausible that the 4.7-inch version would take the iPhone 6 name—and some leaked documentsappear to confirm this—while some are speculating that the rumored 5.5-inch device would borrow from the iPad and be called the iPhone Air. More recent rumors suggest that it will be called the iPhone 6L which sounds a little silly but also makes sense. It's largely unclear whether the phones will be identical on the inside, but rumors abound that the larger iPhone 6 could enjoy better specs.

Surely, both of them will be very pretty, though. Or sort of pretty or just plain awful, depending on your tastes.

Design

Be excited. If Apple sticks to its usual cycle, the new iPhone will see a complete hardware redesign. And because of the possibility of a new size—among other things—the difference could be drastic.

Confirming what the rumormongers agreed upon, both The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal report that the iPhone case will get a complete overhaul. Leaked photos suggest that the new design be a throwback of sorts, borrowing the smooth, rounded contours of the original iPhone while tipping its hat to details from the current line, namely the lines on the top and bottom of the case. Sonny Dickson, the same guy who correctly leaked images of the iPhone 5C case, leaked several photos of the alleged iPhone 6 case:

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Image via Sonny Dickson

Mid-way through August, Sonny released more photos of the purported 5.5-inch iPhone backplate, including a close up of the camera holes. Honestly, it looks like a more banged up version of all the other chassis we've seen in photos:

Sonny's hardly the only one who got his hands on one of these cases either. Check out this 360-degree tour of the purported iPhone 6 body from custom iPhone shop Feld & Volk:

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Feld and Volk also claim that the Apple logo will be embedded on the back of the case and that the volume buttons will be pill-shaped, like on the latest iPads.

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Flipping the phone over will supposedly reveal a more subtle design upgrade: sapphire glass. Sapphire glass could spell the end of the cracked iPhone screen. This transparent crystal is stronger than steel and harder than the Gorilla Glass that's on current iPhones. It's also more expensive, due to a more involved manufacturing process. However, Apple's latest earnings report reveals that it's investing heavily in a new sapphire manufacturing facility, so if the stuff isn't coming to the iPhone this year, it seems very likely that it'll show up at some point in the not too distant future. To boot, The Times reports that a new wearable computer (a.k.a. the iWatch) will feature a sapphire screen.

A video emerged just days before the iPhone event showing what appears to be an iPhone 6 compared to an iPhone 5S. The comparison showed a slimmer, rounder device with a large screen. It's unclear if the phone in the video is an iPhone, but it certainly (maybe) could be.

There are also reports and leaked documents that the sleep/wake button will be redesigned and relocated, perhaps to the same spot where it is on Samsung smartphones. The Times's sourcessay that an update to iOS 8 will also offer a one-handed typing option, so users can navigate the larger screen more easily.As for that 5.5-inch version? Expect it to feel very consistent with the 4.7-inch phone, assuming both exist. If nothing else, Apple's a huge fan of keeping its product lines consistent.

Where we could see some differences, though, is in the guts.

Specs

Theoretically, a bigger iPhone means more space for fun stuff. A few days before the September 9 event, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times reported that the new iPhone will feature much-anticipated near field communication (NFC) technology that will be used to connect with the iWatch and play a role in mobile payments. In brief, this would enable Apple to offer touch-to-pay functionality in both devices. A leaked schematic early in the monthseemed to confirm the existence of an NFC chip. A couple weeks later, sources with knowledge of Apple's plans to enter the mobile payments market said that the technology would be included in the iPhone 6, seemingly confirming an earlier report on a patent that detailed how the backend architecture of the device's e-wallet.

You can probably assume that a faster new A8 chip will be included in the mix, perhaps exclusively in the 5.5-inch model but likely in both. The device will reportedly keep the 1GB of LPDDR3 memory that's in the iPhone 5S. Benchmark tests of the functional iPhone 6-looking device in the video above claim that the A8 chip packs a 1.4GHz ARM processor that hits a score of 1633 for single-core and 2920 in multi-core tests. That's about 15-percent better than the 5S.

Newly revealed images of the purported logic board that will hold this chip hint at more exciting changes, too. Other reports suggest that a faster new 802.11ac Wi-Fi chip and an upgrade to a Qualcomm MDM9625M LTE modem capable of speeds as high as 150 Mbps are also possible.

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The battery in the iPhone 6 will probably be bigger and more robust. The latest reports say the 5.5-inch device will boast a 2,915mAh battery, which would mean a huge improvement over the iPhone 5S's 1,560mAh. Other rumors say the bump will be smaller and the iPhone 6 will come with a 2,100mAh battery or a 1810mAh battery. Regardless, those rumors still put the iPhone battery behind the 2,800mAh beast in Samsung's Galaxy S5.

Leaked schematics from a phone repair company also suggest that the one or both of the new iPhone 6 models will offer a 128-gigabyte storage option, likely only on the 5.5-inch model. Indeed, an accompanying parts supply list does indeed show a 128-gigabyte NAND from Toshiba. Which would be pretty cool since people have been begging for more storage for ages.

Some of the other hardware updates are expected to be pretty incremental. In part because of the new photo features in iOS 8, most people believe that the camera will get some improvements, and some supposedly leaked parts pointed to the addition optical image stabilization. A purported parts leak also suggested that the new iPhone will feature a circular True Tone flash with two LEDs for cool and warm tints. Touch ID will certainly be included on the new iPhone line, and might even be slightly improved.

Other spec bumps seem a little less likely, but they're worth mentioning. There is evidence that the device will feature an atmospheric sensor that could be used to collect weather data. Some think the iPhone 6 will offer wireless charging capabilities. New patents definitely suggest that Apple is thinking hard about this technology, too, but it seems like too big a leap for a company still hasn't even embraced NFC. Speaking of charging, scattered reports say that Apple is ditching the conventional headphone jack in favor of the Lightning plug. That also seems like a stretch, to be honest.

iOS 8

For the most part, we already know what iOS 8 looks like. Apple announced the new mobile operating system a couple months ago, and various Gizmodo writers (including this one) have been testing it out. It works pretty well!

While iOS 8 enjoys most of the same beautiful design features as iOS 7, the real differences lie beneath the hood. Apple is rolling out a new API called HealthKit with a corresponding Health app that will help you organize the data from the increasingly huge number of wearable devices on the market. It was also developed with the Mayo Clinic and could make doctors' jobs a little bit easier.

Otherwise, expect to see more useful options in the Camera app. Continuity will be improved as you'll now be able to switch seamless between Apple devices, without losing or needing to transfer your work, thanks to a new feature called Handoff. Notifications, Contacts, Mail, and Spotlight all get incremental improvements in iOS 8. And finally, an exciting new feature called Extensions will finally let apps talk to each other. Oh and keyboards. You can now use third party keyboards.

Be sure to check out our comprehensive overview and hidden features roundup if you want to know more about iOS 8.

How much will it cost?

Price structure usually doesn't change much with updates to the iPhone line. However, because of the big, new screen, some expect Apple to add a new tier. That would bring the cost of the upper end, 5.5-inch iPhone up to $300 (with contract) for the smallest model. and the mid-range, 4.7-inch iPhone would run for $200.

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The iPhone 5S would then presumably drop from its current starting price tag of $200 down to $100.

What about the other iPhones?

If Apple follows protocol, the other iPhones will just shift down the line. The iPhone 5S and 5Cwill see a nice price cut—if the 5C continues to exist at all, given its reportedly sluggish sale while the rest of the phones will continue the process of being phased out.

The iPhone 4, as we've said before, will basically become obsolete since it won't run iOS 8, while the 4S will probably just run iOS 8 frustratingly slowly.

When will it be available?

Apple's track record also helps when trying to figure out timing. Last year, the iPhone 5S was announced on September 10 and hit shelves September 20. Expect a similar timeframe year, with the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 hitting stores on September 19. (Reliable reports suggest that both phones will ship September 19.) Last month, reports that manufacturing issues would delay the larger iPhone 6, however these kinds of reports are often sensationalized. But hey, when you're wading through the sea of iPhone rumors, most things are.

Flagship fight: which Android phone wins in 2014?

My my my, what an interesting year this has been for phones.

This year, Apple really does have its work cut out for it when it comes 

to making a product that can beat what’s out this year. But what if you 

want something from the slate of Android phones out now: what’s the

 best Android for your money?

We’ve reviewed them all, and then some, spending time with them in

 our lives and used them as a real phone, so let’s see just which is

 better from our point of view, working this out not just in different 

areas, but really getting down to the nitty gritty for those of you

 who just aren’t sure yet.

Design and build

We’ll start with the most obvious one for all these handsets: the look,

 and then the feel, and they all have something different to offer here.

Samsung, for instance, has taken an approach closer to what it offers in its

tablets, with a plastic body, shiny faux metal trim, and a dimpled back to give

 the feeling that you’re holding a fabric or leather-bound handset that won’t 

slip out of the hands.

It’s comfortable, that’s for sure, but well built it isn’t, feeling more like plastic

 and less like a strengthened material like metal or aluminium.

LG has taken a similar approach, adopting plastic in the design but painting it 

to look metal. That’s a slightly better approach, and the G3 feels a touch

 stronger than the S5 and just as comfortable, but it’s still plastic.

HTC and Sony are thinking along the same lines, however, making their 

phones out of premium materials.

In the case of HTC’s One M8, it’s mostly made out of aluminium, and we’re

 not kidding on that, with a brushed aluminium making up around 90

 percent of the handset’s design, with glass the rest thanks to the 

screen. It’s certainly schmick, and it feels fantastic and solid in the hands, too.

Sony’s Xperia Z2 has a similar approach, taking aluminium for the sides

 and encasing the rest of the handset in glass, making it feel very premium,

 similar to what Apple did with the iPhone 4 and LG with its Optimus G, 

the first in the G series handset.

Our only quibble with the Xperia Z2 design is that it’s so angular that it 

can ruin pants and jeans, as we found out when we carried it around 

for an extended amount of time.

Ruggedisation

Making a phone water and dust proof is now a thing, because you’re going 

to take it out of the office, so why not make it as durable as humanly possible?

In this year’s four flagship fighters, only two are slightly ruggedised, with

 water and dust resistance applied to the Sony Xperia Z2 and Samsung’s

 Galaxy S5. You can probably get the HTC One and LG G3 a little bit wet

, but don’t expect them to perform like what Sony and Samsung have 

provided.

Both have protection against water and dust, but to different limits, and

 keep in mind, if you want these to keep resisting these elements and 

not succumb to a watery grave or die a dusty death, you need to leave

 their little plug ports closed when the particles or droplets hit.

For those unaware of IP ratings, it stands for “Ingress Protection” and is

 an international rating to determine levels of resistance to elements that 

don’t normally agree with electrical components. We’ve seen it in devices 

before, but up until 2013, they were generally very bulky, so its introduction

 in slim-line phones is a pretty serious development.

In IP ratings, the first number relates to dust or “solid particle” protection,

 while the second is about liquids.

Samsung’s S5 relies on an IP67 rating, and when you break that down,

 that means it is protected against all dust (6) making it dust tight, while 

the 7 means the Galaxy S5 can survive contact with water for an immersion

 of up to a metre.

Sony’s Z2 has an IP58 rating, which cuts back on the dust protection a bit,

 bringing it to mostly dust protected though some might get in, while the

 8 in the IP rating means the Xperia Z2 can go beyond one metre in depth,

 though usually only to a maximum of three metres.

The time you spend with that phone under water will probably be small-ish,

 with around 15 to 30 minutes the most you’ll want to use it for at one time,

 but it’s still a pretty decent amount of time with a phone underwater, 

so that’s something.

iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus - Which One Is More Popular? We Finally Have Some Data

Apple's 4.7-inch iPhone 6 is selling three times faster than the 5.5-inch
 iPhone 6 Plus in the US, according to a new report.

Based on the sales breakdown by Consumer Intelligence Research
Partners, an analyst Steven Milunovich of UBS said (via AppleInsider)
that the iPhone 6 is outselling theiPhone 6 Plus by three to one margin.
From the research data, Milunovich noted that the iPhone 6 sales in first
 30 days in the US accounted for 68 percent of all iPhone sales, while
 the iPhone 6 Plus managed between 23 and 24 percent.

This means that the new iPhone models accounted for about 91 percent
 of total iPhone sales, while the rest was made up by older models such
 as iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c. As a comparison, last year, the then new
 iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c accounted for 84 percent of all iPhone sales
during a similar time frame.

The research also noted that the average storage capacity for buyers
 this year was 48GB, which is almost double than the last year, hardly
 a surprise given Apple has made 64GB model variant cheaper and
also introduced a 128GB iPhone variant for the very first time.

(Also see: iPhone 6 Price Good News for Heavy Users but
iPhone 6 Plus Price Disappoints)

The US sales trend is the opposite of what initial data had indicated in
China. The iPhone 6 Plus had seen stronger pre-orders than iPhone 6.
 Last month a report based on JD.com's sales figure had noted
that out of 9.49 million pre-orders, iPhone 6 Plus had clocked
about 4.82 million pre-orders, while iPhone 6 had 4.66 million.

Recently, Apple had outperformed Samsung on the latter's home
 turf of Korea, with the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus clocking three
 times as many pre-orders than theSamsung Galaxy Note 4
 over a similar time frame.

Apple iPhone 6

Apple iPhone 6 Plus

Sony Xperia Z4 release date, news, specs and rumors

The Xperia Z3 may have just been revealed at IFA 2014, but Sony's speedy release schedule means we have already began getting excited for its next flagship device hitting us in 2015. Recent speculation has suggested that Sony is ditching its two flagships per-year approach (sadly it hasn't appeared to do its smartphones sales much good) but it looks like Xperia Z4 might just pack enough punch to carry us through to 2016. Update: We've just heard that the Xperia Z4 may be packing an incredible, probably too-good-to-be-true camera - head to the new 'Xperia Z4 camera' section to read the lates

The Xperia Z2 (left) and the Xperia Z3. What will the Z4 look like? / © ANDROIDPIT

Sony Xperia Z4 release date

The original Sony Xperia Z was released in February of 2013, with the Xperia Z2 following a year later in March 2014. Sony had previously stated that it wanted to beat the yearly release cycle that most manufacturers have set for their flagship handsets and instead release them on a bi-annual basis, which is why the Xperia Z3 landed in the Autumn. This idea appears to have been abandoned now, and we think that the Xperia Z4 will be the only flagship released by Sony next year, so here's hoping it produces more than a just a modest upgrade over the Xperia Z3. 

What all of this means for the Xperia Z4 release date is that it may materialize around April next year, but maybe even as soon as March to coincide with the 2015 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, which takes place between the 2nd and 5th of that month.

The Xperia Z3 (left) alongside the Z3 Compact - Sony's Omnibalance design ethic is here to stay for the time being.  / © ANDROIDPIT

• Sony Xperia Z3 vs Sony Xperia Z2: an unnecessary update?

Sony Xperia Z4 price

Let’s be real. The Sony Xperia Z range is known for premium materials and hardware. The Z3 features a glass and aluminium housing, 20 MP camera, quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor, 5.2-inch full-HD display and 2 GB RAM. Oh, and it’s waterproof. The Z4 will be at least as powerful, so you can expect to pay top-dollar when it does come around.

The Xperia Z3 is available for pre-order in the UK for 549 GBP off-contract (or 515 GBP on Clove), and the 6-month old Z2 currently goes for 399 GBP (down from the 549 GBP RRP). The Verizon-based Z3v will start at 199 USD on a two-year contract. We expect similar sort of prices for the next generation.

Sony Xperia Z4 specs

While Sony has previously claimed that it doesn't believe in QHD technology due to the battery life trade-off, the latest leak from Android Origin includes a 5.5-inch QHD (2560 x 1440) display for the Xperia Z4. The rest of the specs revealed include a 64-bit compatible quad-core Snapdragon 810 (not even the 808), 4 GB of RAM, and 32 GB as the base model for internal storage. 

Category 6 LTE (up to 300 Mbps download speeds) and Bluetooth 4.1 are a given, but one of the most exciting tidbits is that the Xperia Z4 might be getting amplifiers for its speakers, creating an audio experience like HTC's BoomSound. We'll just wait and see how much of this pans out, but if all this works out as leaked, then the ''minor upgrade to fit the six-month update cycle'' problem may be a thing of the past, because the Z4 looks to be shaping up as seriously next-gen if it appears on schedule.

These are just some of the features Qualcomm's new chipset will bring. / © Qualcomm Technologies

• Sony Xperia Z3 vs Xperia Z3 Compact: hardware comparison

Sony Xperia Z4 camera

Update: Courtesy of sonyalpharumors.com, it looks like Sony is advancing smartphone camera quality to a substantial degree, producing the world's first active pixel color sampling sensor (APCS) in 2015. A leaked document reveals that Sony is producing a 1.5 inch sensor with 4.8 million pixels, which doesn't seem so impressive until you consider that each individual pixel is said to be capable of carrying full RGBG information thanks to Sony's new technology. (This basically means 1 pixel created by this camera sensor can perform the job of 4 regular pixels)

What does this mean to the end-user? It means higher-dynamic range, faster processing, lower-noise, no need for anti-aliasing, an electronic global shutter, and 2K video recording at 16,000 FPS. Oh and a mega-pixel count which stretches far beyond the current 20 MP smartphone cap. Whether or not this camera will make its way to the Xperia Z4, we aren't sure, but it certainly seems to be in the pipeline. And if Sony is only producing one flagship next year, this would certainly be a way to sell it.

Sony Xperia Z4 features

It's safe to assume that Android 5.0 will be running on any device released next year, so you can bet the Z4 will come with Android 5.0 Lollipop out of the box, along with all of the benefits it brings.

That's basically what we think we know about the Xperia Z4. We'll update this page with more information as we get it, until then, you might want to check out how the Z3 compares to another modern flagship in our Xperia Z3 vs LG G3 comparison.

Are you excited about the Xperia Z4? Do you think the leaked specs can be done in time?