10 Rumored iPhone 6 Features That Make Sense

by Don Reisinger

The iPhone 6 will come with a bigger screen, just about every analyst and rumor out of the supply chain suggests. It’s believed that the iPhone 6 will come with a 4.7-inch HD display, making it slightly smaller than the 5-inch HTC One M8 and the 5.1-inch Samsung Galaxy S5.

No surprise here: Apple will be ditching its A7 processor in favor of the A8. The A8 will reportedly be much faster than its predecessor, but only come with 1GB of RAM. In comparison, some of the devices the iPhone 6 will compete with come with 2GB or 3GB of RAM.

Apple’s iPhone 6 will look much different. According to reports and some leaked images from the supply chain, the bezel around the screen is being reduced to ensure users can still tap around the display with just their thumbs. Apple is also making the device thinner and lighter, despite its larger screen.

Here’s a surprise: Apple is planning to launch a phablet in addition to the iPhone 6. It’s not clear whether the phablet, which is rumored to feature a 5.5-inch screen, will also be called iPhone 6 or will have another name, but most analysts with sources in the supply chain say that it’s coming and will compete with the Samsung Galaxy Note 3.

Apple has been loath to change pricing on its iPhone line, so it shouldn’t surprise anyone if the iPhone 6 comes with the same $200 starting price as the iPhone 5S. It’s unclear at this point what the Apple phablet might cost, but at least Apple will stick to the same pricing scheme with the iPhone 6.

This might seem outlandish, given how long we’ve been hearing rumors about near-field communication, but that technology is reportedly making its way to the iPhone 6. The reason NFC is believed to be coming to the iPhone 6 has everything to do with the rumor’s source: KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Over the years, Kuo has been right on nearly every Apple rumor, giving him real credibility. And if he says NFC is coming, it might just happen.

The recent leak of Apple’s Healthbook, in addition to reports about sensors being built into the iPhone 6 to track health-related information, has all but confirmed that fitness tracking and health tracking will play a crucial role in the iPhone 6. Samsung has made a similar push with the Galaxy S5, so it’s no surprise Apple might want to follow suit.

According to several reports, iOS 8, which will come bundled with the iPhone 6 and Apple’s upcoming phablet, will not feature too many design changes. Instead, Apple’s industrial design chief Jony Ive wants to focus on the software’s quality under the hood. Look for a better Maps application, an improved Siri and snappier functionality, but few fundamental design changes.

Apple has been quietly investing in sapphire for its iPhone design over the last few years, first by using it to protect the rear camera lens on its handset and then to employ it with its TouchID fingerprint sensor. Now there are rumors that Apple will make its iPhone 6 screen with sapphire glass. The benefit is simple: With sapphire, Apple can create a display that’s even tougher than Gorilla Glass 3 and nearly impossible to crack. As someone who has a cracked iPhone screen, here’s hoping this one happens.

The iPhone 6 will launch at some point in the third quarter of 2014, according to several analysts. But unfortunately, Apple has no plans to make its phablet available at the same time. Instead, it’s believed that the Apple phablet won’t hit store shelves until late in the fourth quarter of 2014.