iPhone 6

The iPhone 6 seems to be the subject of a new leak or piece of information almost every day, and with so many reports flying about, it can be rather difficult to keep abreast of what's going on. Here, we try to establish a little coherence with a brief run-through of what we think we know so far.

We've heard a great deal about the iPhone 6, and thanks to a bunch of leaked dummies and mockups, also had plenty of visuals on its supposed form factor. Whether or not the iPod touch-like form factor we've been seeing is indicative of the final product, we cannot say for certain, but if these sightings do accurately represent Apple's forthcoming flagship, then we're in for a very clear departure from all previous iPhones in terms of both style and size. To emphasize this point, one perpetual Cupertino whistle-blower has pitted the dummy iPhone 6 against each and every preceding Apple handset in a series of high-quality images, making for a very interesting spectacle.

In preparing for a major new product release, most companies will outline several suppliers to take care of each element, which ensures that if one supplier isn't delivering to its quota or there's a hitch, the overall production machine isn't ground to a halt. When it comes to preparing new displays for the iOS device range, Apple has several companies in the running, but whilst it has leant heavily on Samsung and Sharp in this key area over the past couple of years, it now appears that both have been dropped for the production of the iPhone 6.

After an abundance of coverage pertaining to the smaller, 4,7-inch iPhone 6, we very recently saw a case leak that gave us an insight into the potential dimensions of its more sizeable, 5.5-inch-displaying cousin. As expected, the measurements have lead to another frenzy of 3D print-outs, and for the first time, we can now see just how the "phablet" model of Apple's next smartphone stacks up against the current flagship iPhone 5s.

Some hopeful reports have indicated that Apple's upcoming iPhone 6 may be ready in time for an August release, and it's the kind of thing we hear on a yearly basis. But invariably, it tends to hit the retail market later than billed, and new evidence seems to suggest that the new device will, in fact, be instead releasing in September.

We've been inundated with rumor and speculation pertaining to the smaller of the two new, larger iPhone 6 variants, which is set to arrive with a 4.7-inch display. But even though it seems fairly certain that the reportedly delayed, 5.5-inch iPhone 6 will manifest at some point shortly after its less sizeable cousin, we haven't seen much by way of leaks. Today, however, a case has emerged offering an insight into the form factor of the "phablet" edition of the iPhone 6, which touts dimension almost identical to an earlier schematics leak.

By now, we've established a reasonably solid idea of what to expect from the iPhone 6, and having seen a myriad of mockups over the last couple of weeks, some high-quality comparison videos have just emerged that note of the similarities and differences between it and the current iPhone 5s. Given that the upcoming device will, from what we gather, be largely remnant of the iPod touch, one of the clips also looks at how the iPhone 6 holds up against the forgotten member of the iOS device line.

When it comes to implementing new and emerging technologies, Apple is notorious for dragging its heels. It wasn't until the iPhone 5, which arrived in late 2012, that the Cupertino's smartphone finally saw 4G LTE, and while there has been talk in the past of the iPhone getting Near Field Communication tech, otherwise known as NFC, this has also yet to materialize. Perhaps it should be seen as something of a formality, then, that new reports indicate that the iPhone 6 will offer NFC as standard, with a deal also apparently having been struck between Apple and China UnionPay.