iPhone 6S specs: what's rumored for Apple's new phone

iPhone 6S specs news
iPhone 6S specs news

Apple's iPhone 6S specs are going to be a major focus of its forthcoming smartphone, because this is an "S" update that reportedly shies away from changing the design.

In fact, the iPhone 6S dimensions are supposed to be exactly the same, so almost everything that's new about this phone is happening on the inside.

That may sound like boring news, but the new iPhone and the iPhone 6S Plus are rumored to make major leaps thanks to more powerful internal specs and features, all for a steady iPhone 6S price.

Anyone who wants a better camera, faster processor, more RAM and boosted battery life is likely going to be pleased with the Apple's iPhone 6S announcement on September 9.

iPhone 6S specs: Processor

There's every reason to believe that the new iPhone 6S processor will be called the Apple A9, as it follows a sequence, from last year's A9 in iPhone 6 back to 2010's A4 in iPhone 4.

iPhone 6S specs

Just how much more powerful will it be? (credit: G for Games)

The bigger question is, just how powerful will this Apple-designed System-on-a-Chip really be? Plenty powerful, according to a bunch of unconfirmed benchmark leaks.

iPhone 6S specs are tipped to set new records, with rumored Geekbench scores that claim it'll be 20% to 30% faster, even though the chip uses smaller 14-nanometre FinFET technology. That's a good thing in the world of processors.

The exact number really depends on which leaked Geekbench 3 benchmark scores you want to believe, and which are fabricated. Right now, it's hard to tell.

iPhone 6S specs

Everything should run more smoothly on the new iPhone

Regardless, if the higher counts are true, it makes the processor fast enough to top the iPad Air 2 A8X chip and outscore the reigning champs, the Samsung Galaxy S6 and Samsung Galaxy Note 5.

For consumers, Apple's third 64-bit mobile chip will translate into apps loading faster and high-intensity games playing more smoothly. Those occasional hiccups we all experience could be eliminated.

iPhone 6S specs: RAM

iPhone 6S specs

Ready to run more apps at once?

Apple is finally going to double the amount of RAM from 1GB to 2GB in the iPhone 6S, claims just about every single report we've seen.

That's excellent news for anyone who has experienced iPhone slowness in the past, and has been envious of the 3GB RAM and 4GB of RAM in several new Android phones.

It's more than a number. Expect menu transitions to be more fluid and the iOS 9 keyboard to not lag behind your touch, especially at the end of your phone's drawn out two- or three-year lifecycle.

The 2GB of RAM in the iPhone 6S is long overdo, especially among multitaskers who want to load several apps at once without constant app refreshing issues.

iPhone 6S: Internal storage

Here's where the iPhone 6S may let you down: its internal storage will likely start at 16GB again, even though that amount of space isn't enough for average users.

iPhone 6S specs

16GB means carefully managing files again, or paying a higher price

It wouldn't be so bad, except the iPhone 6S price will likely make it expensive to upgrade to the higher tiers, and iCloud isn't completely viable because it's more expensive than Dropbox and Google Drive.

Apple did us all a solid last year by making 64GB the same price as the now eliminated 32GB storage size, but we'd rather see a 32GB iPhone 6S for the same price at the 16GB model instead.

The the new iPhone is expected to once again max out at 128GB, for anyone who likes to take all of their media files on the go and can afford that gold Apple Watch while they're at it.

iPhone 6S: Graphics chip

The new Apple TV may focus on games and controllers in its expected update on September 9, but the iPhone 6S is going to be right up there with the set-top box when it comes to graphics.

iPhone 6S specs

You'll see smoother 3D games thanks to a new graphics processor

Imagination Technologies, Apple's steady manufacturer behind the iPhone GPU, already unveiled its Power VR Series 7XT chipset late last year. It's been ready for months.

It came out too late for the iPhone 6 and iPad Air 2, which use company's PowerVR Series 6 GX6450 and GX6850 GPUs, respectively, with still impressive results.

Two things are highly likely: the stepped-up Power VR Series 7 will be incorporated into the iPhone 6S, and we're in for press conference-lengthening 3D game demos at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium this Wednesday.

iPhone 6S: Durability

There's more evidence that the iPhone 6S will be physically stronger than the iPhone 6, and the same will apply to the iPhone 6S Plus over the troubled iPhone 6 Plus.

iPhone 6S specs

It's said to be more than 2.5x stronger, so this won't be problem (Credit: Unbox Therapy)

A test of what's said to be an iPhone 6S prototype shell turned up in a video last month, and the bend test suggested that the iPhone 6S will be more than two and a half times more durable.

It's a safe assumption that Apple will want to reassure skeptics that the there won't be another repeat of BendGate. Adding zinc-infused aluminum 7000 series would be a remarkable way to just do it.

Matt Swider