iPhone 6 said to feature ‘Ultra-Retina’ display, 3 new sensors and more

iphone 6 proto 3

A pair of reports surfaced this weekend, claiming to have knowledge of the features and specifications for Apple’s new iPhone. The first report calls for the smartphone to have a trio of new sensors, and the other says an ‘Ultra-Retina’ display is in the cards.

So-called iPhone 6 rumors have been appearing rather frequently over the past few months, with everyone trying to predict the design and capabilities of Apple’s next handset. A larger display, sapphire and A8 chip are all in the pile, and today we add this…

The first report comes from Electronics analyst Sun Chang Xu, relayed by G for Games (via MacRumors). Citing sources familiar with Apple’s iPhone plans, Xu says that the device will feature 3 new sensors for measuring air pressure, temperature and humidity.

According to Sun Chang Xu (news chief analyst at ESM-China), sources close to the matter have revealed that Apple will catch up in the “sensors department”, as the iPhone 6 will feature pressure, temperature and humidity sensors. Please note that the analyst is probably not referring to blood pressure (this feature is rumored to be implemented in Apple’s iWatch) but to atmospheric pressure.

While the mixture of these things sounds a bit odd, Apple is believed to be integrating support for several new sensors in iOS 8, and it does have a team of scientists nowBut as to what it could be doing with these 3 sensors—outside of weather—I’m not sure.

iphone 6 proto

As for the second report, it’s more of a series of tweets, and it comes from well-known tipster Sonny Dickson. Sonny has been responsible for a number of component and detail leaks in the past, so people tend to listen when he says he has some inside information.

Now, it’s worth noting that Dickson has also been wrong on several occasions, but there’s not much here that doesn’t make sense. An A8 chip would be an obvious successor to the A7, and with the reports of a larger display, you’d think Apple’d have to tweak the resolution.

Other iPhone 6 rumors have included multiple display sizes between 4.7 and 5.5-inches, as well as a 10MP camera and 2GB of RAM. The handset is expected to launch at its usual time this fall, but we’ve seen a few reports suggesting it could launch as early as this summer.

Above concept images by Martin Hajek