Iphone 6

Given the iPhone's history - from the 3G onwards, there's always been a half-step S model before the next numbered iPhone - so it was no surprise the 5S was first and so we're looking at the second half of 2014 for a new iPhone 6.

One thing is for sure, with potential refreshes of such super handsets as the Samsung Galaxy S4, Sony Xperia Z1 and HTC One, the next iPhone will have to seriously up its game.

iPhone 6 release date

The iPhone 6 release date will be in 2014, although exactly when that will be in the year is still a little unclear.

Jefferies analyst Peter Misek says that there will be a June 2014 releasefor the iPhone 6.

iPhone 6 home button

According to Business Insider, of the many iPhone 6 prototypes Apple has made, one has a giant Retina+ IGZO display and a "new form factor with no home button. Gesture control is also possibly included". It will surely include Apple's new Touch ID finger print tech though?

iPhone 6 screen

The Retina+ Sharp IGZO display would have a 1080p Full HD resolution. It's also been widely reported that Apple could introduce two handset sizes as it seeks to compete with the plethora of Android devices now on the market.

Take this one with a pinch of salt, because China Times isn't always right: it reckons the codename iPhone Math, which may be a mistranslation of iPhone+, will have a 4.8-inch display.

The same report suggests that Apple will release multiple handsets throughout the year over and above the iPhone 5S and 6, which seems a bit far-fetched to us.

Patents show that Apple has been thinking about magical morphing technology that can hide sensors and even cameras. Will it make it into the iPhone 6? Probably not.

That said, there's still a small possibility of the iPhone 6 sporting a flexible wraparound display after more patents were uncovered, but we reckon that's more likely to feature on the iPhone 7 or 8 instead.

Jefferies analyst Peter Misek also says he believes the new iPhone will have a bigger screen. Different sizes also seem rather likely to us - theword on the street after WWDC 2013 was that there would be 4.7 and 5.7-inch versions.

More rumors in September 2013 pointed to a 6-inch display, with further talk of a phablet sized 6-inch iPhone claiming it might arrive as early as May 2014.

A couple of months later word of a 4.9-inch prototype iPhone 6 hit the web, and at the start of 2014 we heard that Apple will launch a 4.7-inch and a 5.7-inch iPhone 6, not once, but twice - just to keeping us all guessing.

The iPhone 6 will run iOS 8

With iOS 7 heading out of the traps now, who's betting against the next iPhone coming with iOS 8?

We'd expect a September or October release date for iOS 8 in line with previous releases.

iPhone 6 processor

Not a huge surprise, this one: the next processor one will be a quad-core A8 or an evolved A7. The big sell here is more power with better efficiency, which should help battery life.

Anyone hoping for some juicy Samsung technology hidden under the iPhone 6 body will be disappointed though, as reports suggest Apple is looking to push its Korean rival further out of the iPhone picture with its eighth-gen handset.

Apple is apparently cutting the amount of A8 processors it is having made by Samsung, although it hasn't severed ties completely just yet.

iPhone 6 camera

Apple's bought camera sensors from Sony before, and this year we're going to see a new, 13-megapixel sensor that takes up less room without compromising image quality. But that's not what everybody thinks.

The China Post, quoting a tip from the country's Nomura Security, claims that the next iPhone won't go for a 12 or 16-megapixel sensor, instead sticking to the existinh 8-megapixel unit. Expect optical image stabilisation and improved autofocus though. And maybe a better flash.

A patent confirms this, saying Apple's aim is to use "voice coil motor actuators" to move the lens around the optical axis.

An Apple patent, uncovered by Apple Insider in May 2013, shows a system where an iPhone can remotely control other illuminating devices - extra flashes. It would work in a similar manner to that seen in professional photography studios. Interesting stuff.