A new colour, better camera and more processing power are among the features Apple fans can expect in the next batch of iPhones, according to the first substantial leak of information ahead of the phones' reveal.
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The devices that will likely launch in September as the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus – the improvements appear too slight to corroborate the rumour of a full-fledged iPhone 7 – also take some inspiration from Apple's first wearable device, the Apple Watch.
KGI Securities' Ming-Chi Kuo – who has a history of accurately reporting Apple device specifications before they're officially revealed – detailed the changes in a note seen by enthusiast news site Apple Insider.
The new iPhones will come in "rose gold", like the Apple Watch, according to Kuo. It's unclear whether this will replace the existing gold colour and whether it will be actual gold ($24,000 phone to go with your watch, madam?) or merely a tint.
The leak also indicates some slight performance boosts and hardware upgrades for the new handsets, including a 12 megapixel primary camera (up from 8 megapixels), 2 gigabytes of RAM (up from the 1 gigabyte used since the iPhone 5), an additional microphone (presumably for noise cancellation) and an upgrade to a vague new processor Apple will probably call the A9.
There will also be modest improvements to the Touch ID sensor, Kuo said.
Most significantly, the "Force Touch" technology seen on the Apple Watch and new Macbook – which gives surfaces the ability to detect how hard you're pressing on a screen – will apparently be used to allow a greater range of touch inputs on the new phones.
"Force Touch can enrich user experience due to more input methods and support of handwritten signatures, which is beneficial for expanding the commercial market," Kuo said, according to Apple Insider.
The design of the devices may be in for some tweaking as well, with Kuo claiming the larger phone in particular will be built with a new design and materials, specifically to avoid accidental damage like that seen in the "bendgate" social phenomenon.
The larger phone is also apparently being considered for a scratch-resistant sapphire glass cover, but only if certain difficulties in the manufacturing and design can be overcome.
In what may be a concern to some, there was no mention from Kuo of any improvements to the iPhones' maligned battery life.
