iPhone 6 hardware specs and design: The final leaks and rumors rounded up (updated)

 



As Apple’s iPhone 6 event is almost upon us, it’s time to take one last look at the latest and most reliable leaks for the iPhone 6′s design, hardware specs, and software. It now seems almost certain that the iPhone 6′s design will deviate massively from the iPhone 5 and 5S, adopting a much larger display and softer, curvier edges, like the newer iPads. We should see a 4.7-inch iPhone 6 tomorrow, and possibly a 5.5-inch model too. Other than larger screens, and perhaps the long-overdue unveil of the iWatch, can Apple offer anything that’s truly innovative to fight off the growing market share of Android? Might we see a sapphire display? An actual, working NFC mobile payments solution?

Let’s take a closer look at what we know about the iPhone 6′s hardware specs, design, screen sizes, and software.

iPhone 6 design and screen sizes

For the iPhone 6, an unusually large number of leaks have emerged from the Chinese supply chain this time around. For months now we have been seeing full-size dummies (non-working replicas used in the design and manufacturing process) of a new, curvier iPhone. Later, videos of complete, working phones appear to confirm that the iPhone 6 will indeed be much smoother and rounder than the iPhone 4 and iPhone 5. It now seems almost certain that the iPhone 6 will more closely resemble the newer iPad Air and iPad Mini.


Early leaks strongly suggested the iPhone 6 would have a sapphire glass display, but more recently they have started to lean in the other direction, saying sapphire glass production isn’t quite up to the level necessary for a full-scale iPhone launch. Maybe we’ll see sapphire glass on the more expensive 5.5-inch model. Or maybe it’s just the iWatch that’ll get sapphire glass.
The sleep/wake button will probably be relocated to the right-hand edge of the phone, to better accommodate for one-handed use of a large-screen phone.