KGI: iPhone 6s to be marginally thicker due to Force Touch

iPhone 6 gray silver gold back camera

Several supply chain reports have indicated that this year’s ‘iPhone 6s’ and ‘iPhone 6s Plus’ releases will feature Apple’s pressure-sensitive screen technology called Force Touch that debuted on the Apple Watch and now a revered analyst has given these reports an aura of credibility.

Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities wrote in a note to clients, a copy of which was obtained by the Japanese blog MacOtakara, that Apple’s implementation of Force Touch on the upcoming phones will make them slightly thicker than the present-generation iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.

According to Kuo, the iPhone 6s will be thicker by 0.2 millimeters versus the current-generation iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus that measure 6.9 millimeters and 7.1 millimeters thick.

In addition, he is expecting the forthcoming phones to be slightly wider and taller by about 0.15 millimeters compared to the existing iPhone 6 generation.

Back in April, Kuo called Force Touch “the biggest upgrade selling point” of the forthcoming handsets, one that will mark the most significant change to date for the iOS user interface due to “more input methods and support of handwritten signatures.”

In today’s note, the analyst also reiterated his previous position, echoed by recent supply chain reports, that the new handsets will address the bending issue “by using different casing materials and internal mechanical design changes.”

He is adamant that Apple will switch from standard aluminum chassis to the company’s custom Series 7000 aluminum it first used for the Apple Watch Sport.

Apple says the custom Series 7000 aluminum alloy is 60 percent stronger at just one-third the density of stainless steel.

Lastly, the analyst reiterated that this year’s iPhone refresh will introduce a new rose gold color option. The current gold model is said to become more yellow tinted while the space grey one should adopt a more darker appearance.

Though Kuo originally predicted mass production of the phones would kick off in mid-to-late August in time for a fall launch, he recently revised the timeframe saying the yield rates for the new devices are so good that Apple has apparently moved the release date for the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus from September to August.

Source: MacOtakara (Google Translate)