Noted analyst claims 5.5-inch iPhone 6 could delay until 2015 over production woes

By Christian Zibreg on Jul 14, 2014

In his new research note issued to clients Monday, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo cautions that Apple’s 5.5-inch iPhone 6 could be delayed until after October and possibly until 2015, over yield issues with its in-cell touch panel and metal casing.

According to the analyst, panels this large exhibit issues where the edge of the panel may become insensitive to touch. Also, under Apple’s new manufacturing process for the iPhone 6 metal casing, “color unevenness is an issue,” wrote Kuo… Read More

 

Video: ultimate torture test reveals what it takes to shatter iPhone 6′s sapphire cover glass

By Christian Zibreg on Jul 11, 2014

Earlier in the week, a scratch test captured on video had us marveling at the virtually indestructible sapphire-strengthened cover glass purportedly making its way to Apple’s forthcoming new iPhones.

The test, posted by YouTuber Marques Brownlee, showed scratching the protective cover with a set of keys and even a large folding knife yielded absolutely no damage. As Brownlee noted, the part’s scratch resistance and proneness to bending and twisting is beyond any smartphone cover glass you’ve ever seen.

Despite trying, Brownlee just couldn’t break the part under his own power. But anything in this world can be broken to pieces. We’re a curious bunch here at iDownloadBlog and have been wondering a lot what it’d take to push this alleged sapphire cover glass beyond the point of breaking.

I’ve just stumbled upon a torture test video which answers that question quite effectively. It’s included after the break so give it a quick watch and meet us in comments… Read More

 

New photo shows alleged iPhone 6 front LCD frame

By Cody Lee on Jul 10, 2014

Continuing on with the barrage of iPhone 6 part leaks we’ve seen over the past few weeks, Apple.club.tw today shares a new photo of what is believed to be the front LCD frame of the handset. It looks to be complete with metal shielding, and Home button bracket.

In a complete iPhone, this component would sit in between the front panel and the rear shell, both of which we’ve seen in other leaks.   It also contains the all-important LCD panel, and helps sandwich in the battery, logic board, and various other internal pieces… Read More

 

Apple reportedly orders 68 million iPhone 6 units ahead of launch this Fall

By Christian Zibreg on Jul 10, 2014

Apple is apparently so confident that the iPhone 6 will be its fastest-selling handset that it’s reportedly ordered a massive 68 million iPhone 6 units ahead of the Fall launch.

According to Chinese media reports, Apple is expecting high demand for the handset. It’s not just the case of pent-up demand, however.

Provided rumors are true, this Fall will bring the first iPhablet in the form of a 5.5-inch iPhone 6, a popular form factor that should help bring customer who have switched over to Samsung back into the fold… Read More

 

Questionable report revives iPhone haptics rumor

By Christian Zibreg on Jul 10, 2014

Since the original iPhone’s inception, Apple’s been expected to add haptic feedback technology to its iconic smartphone. This hasn’t happened to this date, despite several Apple patent filings related to an enhanced haptic feedback on mobile devices.

A new Chinese rumor has been making rounds on the web Thursday, reviving the old-standing rumor which calls for an iPhone with haptic feedback.

According to sources, the next iPhone(s) will incorporate tactile feedback in order to augment the sense of touch with subtle vibrations when virtual keys are pressed… Read More

 

New photos and video show alleged rear shell of 4.7-inch iPhone 6

By Cody Lee on Jul 9, 2014

Several new hi-res photos, and a video, surfaced this morning of what is said to be an actual rear shell of the 4.7-inch iPhone 6. The part looks similar to previous leaks, with a cutout Apple logo and thick antenna breaks at the top and bottom.

The photos come from Feld & Volk, a Moscow-based company that sells modified versions of the iPhone. The firm says it came across the shell thanks to its relationship with Apple suppliers, which enables it to get a head start on modifying… Read More

 

Leaked SIM card tray indicates iPhone 6 will be available in Space Grey, Silver and Gold

By Christian Zibreg on Jul 8, 2014

If a claimed iPhone 6 SIM card tray is anything to go by, Apple’s upcoming handset(s) will be offered in Space Grey, Silver and Gold finishes, just like the current iPhone 5s lineup. Sources on Tuesday posted new images that seemingly depict claimed iPhone 6 SIM card trays in three color options as well as purported power and volume flex cables.

For what it’s worth, the layout of the power/volume flex cables matches up nicely with previous reports and leaks suggesting the sleep/wake button will be relocated to the side in order to make it easier to wake a 4.7 and 5.5-inch handset from sleep with one hand… Read More

 

Scratch test video shows durability of alleged 4.7-inch iPhone 6 sapphire cover

By Cody Lee on Jul 7, 2014

Hot on the heels of this morning’s bend stress test video of an alleged iPhone 6 sapphire cover, comes a clip of a scratch test further showing the part’s durability. YouTuber Marques Brownlee has gotten his hands on an alleged 4.7-inch iPhone 6 cover and put it through its paces.

In the video, Brownlee tries to snap the sapphire cover in half by bending it, but is unable to do so. He also takes a set of keys and even a large folding knife to the component in an effort to scratch the display cover, but again he is unsuccessful. We’ve posted the full video below… Read More

 

Video: limited bending stress test of iPhone 6′s claimed sapphire cover

By Christian Zibreg on Jul 7, 2014

Our favorite parts leaker, Australia-born Sonny Dickson, is back at it again with a new video that seems to offer a look at an alleged sapphire-strengthened cover glass, presumably for Apple’s next iPhone.

As you know, all iPhones models incorporate Gorilla Glass designed and produced by U.S.-based company Corning.

That being said, pundits have been calling for a sapphire iPhone ever since Apple earlier in the year confirmed prepaying over half a billion dollars to GT Advanced to secure multi-year supply of sapphire glass on an exclusive basis.

For those unfamiliar with sapphire, Wikipedia is your friend. In a nutshell, the precious gemstone’s hardness is second only to diamond, making it a no-brainer for the 4.7 and 5.5-inch iPhone 6… Read More

 

Apple’s obsession with iPhone 6 thinness could yield marginal battery improvements

By Christian Zibreg on Jul 7, 2014

As a rule of thumb: the bigger the phone, the stronger the battery. At least, this has been the case with the vast majority of jumbo-sized Android handsets.

And it’s easy to see why: phones with larger displays need bigger enclosures that offer more space inside for internal components such as the battery.

Many pundits expect Apple’s iPhone 6 to exhibit a notable battery capacity boost, but a new report is now alleging that both a 4.7 and 5.5-inch handset offer a slight boost in capacity from the battery used in the iPhone 5s, presumably because Apple is adamant to retain the World’s Thinnest Smartphone crown… Read More

 

New concept imagines iPhone 6 without ugly antenna lines

By Cody Lee on Jul 3, 2014

I’m sure most of you are as tired of iPhone 6 concepts as I am—between rumors of a redesign and the constant barrage of part leaks, designers have had more to work with than years past—but these new mockups from Thomas Moyano and Nicolas Aichino are worth noting.

The images depict Apple’s handset with all of the rumored hardware changes, including the thinner profile, rounded edges and relocated Power button. But there’s one major difference between this design and all of the others we’ve seen thus far: no ugly antenna break lines… Read More

 

These iPhone 6 renders look just about right

By Christian Zibreg on Jul 3, 2014

As news reached us this morning that Apple could launch its next iPhone in mainland China on Thursday, September 25, and given a purported 4.7-inch front panel leaked in a video which suggests the possibility of one-handed use, we now have a better idea of when the device could launch and how it might feel in one’s hand.

There has certainly been no shortage of leaked parts thus far, such as the supposed display covers, backplates, LCD parts, manufacturing molds, etc.

The problem with these leaks based on rumors is their crudeness that don’t do Apple’s industrial design and precision manufacturing a justice. Enter Ukrainian designer Mark Pelin, who has created high-resolution renders that offer arguably the best indication yet of what a finalized design of the iPhone 6 in Space Gray might look like… Read More

 

Video suggests 4.7″ iPhone 6 would be optimized for one-handed use

By Christian Zibreg on Jul 3, 2014

Japanese magazine Mac Fan asserted back in October 2013 that Apple’s upcoming larger-screened iPhone 6 would file as the first device with a display this large that would still be optimized for one-handed use, thanks to some smart design decisions.

And in September of last year, KGI Securities’ Ming Chi-Kuo called for a next-generation iPhone with a 4.5 to five-inch screen and designed to follow Apple’s “unwavering principle of one hand use”.

Today, a new video of a purported 4.7-inch iPhone 6 front panel has surfaced giving us a good indication how the device might feel in one’s hand… Read More

 

iPhone 6 thought to be introduced on September 19, ahead of September 25 launch

By Christian Zibreg on Jul 3, 2014

According to Chinese media reports, Apple’s upcoming iPhone 6 will be introduced at a media event to be held on Friday, September 19.

The following Thursday, September 25, the device is expected to launch across U.S. carriers and in Apple’s key international markets.

According to sources, a 5.5-inch variant of the iPhone 6 will be marketed under the iPhone Air moniker.

This would be similar to this year’s distinction between the iPad mini and iPad Air lineup. Also, this name change would reflect the bigger model’s thinness and compactness… Read More

 

New images show alleged iPhone 6 display covers

By Cody Lee on Jun 30, 2014

Adding to the recent barrage of iPhone 6 part leaks and physical mockups, several photos popped up online this afternoon showing display covers that allegedly belong to the handset.

The images depict a white and black component, both of which are said to be display glass covers for the smaller (4.7) version of the two new iPhones Apple is expected to launch this fall… Read More

 

iPhone 6 mockups only a rough approximation, no antenna breaks in final design

By Christian Zibreg on Jun 30, 2014

Are you worried, based on the mockups that have been floating around, at the possibility of Apple’s next iPhone disappointing fans with cheap design?

If you have any doubts as to Apple’s build quality, then you don’t know Apple.

The crude, rapidly produced 3D-printed mockups that have been made of low quality materials do not reliably represent the final iPhone 6 design and build quality.

Those ugly, thick white-striped lines on the back, you say? Not part of the final external design, according to a new report by the Japanese business paper Nikkei. The story also notes that the iPhone 6 won’t have the antenna breaks and claims the screen will have rounded edges to lay it flush with the device’s round corners… Read More

 

128GB option could be exclusive to 5.5” iPhone 6

By Christian Zibreg on Jun 26, 2014

Exclusivity appears to be the name of the game concerning Apple’s rumored 5.5-inch handset. Thus far, we’ve learned that Tim Cook & Co. could distinguish Apple’s first phablet-class device with several exclusive features.

These would presumably include (other than display size) optical image stabilization, an ultra-sharp screen at 2K resolution and multiple new sensors for measuring air pressure, temperature and humidity.

You can now put 128GB of storage on your list of 5.5-inch iPhone 6 exclusives… Read More

 

Claimed video shows off 4.7″ iPhone 6 back part

By Christian Zibreg on Jun 26, 2014

A new video has surfaced Thursday, purportedly depicting an all-aluminum back of a forthcoming 4.7-inch iPhone 6 model.

This follows yesterday’s video which compared a 5.5-inch iPhone 6 dummy to several jumbo-sized Android phones and last week’s photos of an alleged 5.5-inch iPhone 6 display panel.

The back part shown off in today’s video appears genuine although one can’t tell for sure whether it represents a finalized design that’s about to go into production or if it’s one of the early prototypes that Apple may or may not have abandoned… Read More

 

Video shows how 5.5″ iPhone 6 would stack up against jumbo-sized Android phones

By Christian Zibreg on Jun 25, 2014

I wish Apple put me out of my misery and released the iPhone 6 already because an influx of videos comparing those questionable dummy units to just about anything is overwhelming me. Just this morning, for example, I pointed you to a video which shows off the supposed minor changes in the next iPad’s design.

Now I’ve decided to highlight another video that I think does a great job explaining how the bigger 5.5-inch iPhone 6 would compare to popular 5.5-inch Android handsets such as the LG G3, Oppo Find 7 and One Plus One.

It’s right after the break so give it a quick watch and join us in comments for a healthy discussion… Read More

 

Another rumor claims September 19 iPhone 6 launch, no 16GB version

By Christian Zibreg on Jun 25, 2014

Last month, German wireless carrier Deutsche Telekom instructed its call center representatives to tell its existing customers that their loyalty could be well rewarded on September 19, the date support staff apparently singled out as the likely iPhone 6 release.

This morning, a Chinese outlet has reaffirmed that the 4.7-inch handset will indeed launch on Friday, September 19, 2014. The device is said to come in two storage flavors – 32 and 64GB varieties – as opposed to the current 16/32/64GB lineup… Read More

 
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