Thailand certifies two unreleased iPhone models

iPhone 6 concept (gold, Martin Hajek 001)

As the iPhone 6 enters the Product Validation Testing stage, typically a final step before full blown mass production ahead of the big reveal on September 9, news comes that regulators in Thailand have now approved two distinctly new iPhone models for use in the country.

One of the approved devices carries a model number of ‘A1524’. The other is labeled as ‘A1586’.

Apple is of course expected to release two new iPhone 6 models come this Fall, one with a 4.7-inch display and the other featuring a phablet-class screen measuring 5.5 inches diagonally…

Thailand’s National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission approved two new iPhone devices for use on that country’s wireless networks, according to a local write-up by Manager Online [Google Translate].

After filing the import application on August 5, the agency on August 8 certified the iPhones with model numbers A1586 and A1524 and issued a written approval notice.

The heavily redacted document does not reveal anything interesting in terms of the rumored iPhone 6 features. Note that the veracity of this story has been corroborated by the agency’s Secretary General, Takorn Tantasith, in a tweet this morning.

iPhone 6 concept (Apple Store, Martin Hajek 002)

It’s a little odd that Thailand, of all countries, would certify unreleased Apple hardware.

Given the iPhone 5s launched in Thailand on October 25, 2013 following its September debut in the United States, such an early certification in the 67 million people country could be the strongest indiction yet that Tim Cook & Co. are indeed planning a massive launch this Fall, as several analysts have suspected.

Another fairly distant possibility: the A1524 and A1586 devices could be revised versions of the existing iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c models, featuring updated wireless and cellular networking chips. Along similar lines, the A1524/A1586 model numbers could refer to two cellular versions of a single iPhone 6 device.

If the most recent component leaks are an indication, the upcoming devices should feature a circular True Tone dual-LED flash and an iSight camera lens which protrudes from the back rather than being flush with the device.

iPhone 6 concept (Apple Store, Martin Hajek 001)

Both 4.7 and 5.5-inch models should be announced at a media event reportedly scheduled for September 9. Among the rumored improvements: a thinner, metal-clad Unibody enclosure, an Apple-designed A8 chip clocked at 2GHz per core, a Sony-made 13-megapixel camera with optical image stabilization, three new sensors and more.

Conflicting rumors make it unclear whether both devices would launch simultaneously or if the bigger 5.5-inch handset has in fact been delayed and thereby would hit store shelves around Christmas.

Gold iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 in the Apple Store concepts by Martin Hajek.