Every big iPhone 6S rumor, ranked

Scoring the scuttlebutt

If you’re reading this article, then you already know that the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus are almost here. The whole shebang goes down on September 9, and you can expect the hype to only increase as the days inch toward Apple’s big announcement.

As the internet is wont to do leading up to an iPhone launch, it’s absolutely crawling with fresh rumors and reports of what we can expect to see from the new handsets. Hell, I know folks that create score cards ahead of each Apple event to see which rumors were right.

So, consider this techradar’s score card for which of the myriad rumors are most likely to come true on iPhone Day (®™). Without further ado, here is every major iPhone 6S rumor, ranked in order of likeliness.

1. Aluminum Series 7000, the BendGate Buster

While not nearly as pervasive as the iPhone 4’s unfortunate AntennaGate, the handful of bending iPhone 6 models seems to have been enough to force Apple’s hand. Several reports of Apple adopting a new, stronger alloy to build its iPhone 6S line have been passed around the web for a long time now.

It’s called Aluminum Series 7000, an Apple-developed aluminum alloy infused with zinc and more stringently anodized to the effect of 2.7 times the structural integrity of the previous iPhone. That figure comes from none other than Unbox Therapy’s Lewis Hilsenteger, this time with a purported iPhone 6S chassis and a brand new bending machine.

This is the same guy who helped put BendGate on the map in the first place, so it’s tough to outright dismiss him. Plus, this material is already found within the Apple Watch, so it makes a lot of sense for the firm to expand the material’s use.

2. 12MP iSight, 5MP FaceTime cameras

Perhaps even more widespread (or explored) than rumors of Apple’s anti-BendGate strategy are those regarding its choice of snappers in the new iPhones. Almost every report published cites the iPhone 6S getting a major camera boost from its predecessor’s 8-megapixel (MP) sensor to a sharper 12MP sensor.

The new camera is said to support 4K video recording, too. And don’t think people aren’t talking about Apple’s selfie shooter, either: several different sources have claimed that the FaceTime camera will see major upgrades, like a 5MP sensor and 1080p video recording. (Not to mention, slow-mo, a flash bulb and panorama support.

We’ve simply heard too many reports from different sources regarding this change to ignore it. Plus, Apple has acquired a company solely aimed creating smartphone cameras that rival those of DSLR-quality.

3. Feel the Force ... Touch

Honestly, I’m not even sure I want this one to be true, but no one will shut up about it, so here we are. Several sources have been cited knowing that Apple has brought this pressure-sensitive touchscreen tech found in its watch to its phones.

Why? Because reasons. Force Touch makes sense on a screen the size of my big toe, but what need is there for it on a phone? That much is anyone’s guess, but that won’t stop the reports from rolling in.

It’s happened before that several major outlets’ key sources are proven wrong in an instant on the Apple event stage. But with Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal’s sources coming out with it, there has be SOME validity to this one.

4. All clad in (rose) gold

Look, Apple knows its rose gold Apple Watch is its most popular and (inversely) inaccessible model. So, why wouldn’t it want to bring that option down to the plebes (like you and me) that can only afford a new phone on contract every two years?

Apple likes money too much to pass this one up, a rumor first started by Ming-Chi Kuo, as accurate and reliable as analysts come. Previous rumors also hinted at a pink version of the iPhone 6S, but those have since been suggested to be inaccurate, pointing to confusion arisen from how similar those two colors are.

5. Pretty in plastic, the iPhone 6C

A classic case of wanting what you don’t have, many clamored for a new version of the iPhone 5C after the launch of the iPhone 6 line, because of its more manageable 4-inch screen. The iPhone 6C, like the 5C before it, would essentially house the iPhone 6 internals (meaning the previous generation) in a variety of colorful plastic cases sized for normal human hands.

Naturally, we’re hearing rather mixed rumors on the prospect of a new plastic phone from Apple. Some are saying that it’s a shoo-in, while others are saying it might miss the September 9 mark or not be realized altogether.

If you ask me, based on how the first iPhone C model reportedly did in sales, it’s not likely that we’ll see a sequel. Too bad, hobbit hands.

6. A 1080p screen for the 4.7-incher?

Don’t press your luck. Apple generally doesn’t drastically change features that would have wider implications for app developers or other partners in the S iterations of its phones. That’s just what they are: iterative updates.

Regardless, outlets’ supply chain sources are reporting that both models of Apple’s phones will get pumped up the pixel department, with the 4.7-inch iPhone 6S going 1080p, like the current iPhone 6 Plus, and the iPhone 6S Plus jumping way up to 2K resolution.

Why am I so skeptical? For one, look how long it took Apple to go 1080p in the first place. And two, unless the firm has figured out how to apply the battery-folding technique it employed in the New MacBook to its iPhones, these resolution bumps would destroy its phones already dodgy longevity.

7. Sapphire display - better buy a case

Seriously, this little gem has left rumor territory and entered the realm of “wishful thinking.” Remember when this was the number one bit of gossip surrounding the iPhones the lot of you are probably reading this very sentence on right now?

How did that turn out? It’s been reported time and again that sapphire glass is an incredibly expensive material to produce, so much so that only the two more expensive Apple Watch models employ sapphire glass – and that’s a 1.32-inch screen.

Can we all agree to just give up on this hope, then? Besides, you probably don’t want to look at sapphire on your phone screen anyway.

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