One country just approved two versions of the iPhone 6

iPhone 6
Apple's going big on this one - in more ways than one

The stage is set for an iPhone 6 reveal between a big Apple event rumored for September 9 and news that the new handset is one step away from mass production.

Now Thailand is getting pre-iPhone 6 jitters. The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) in the country (equivalent to the US' FCC) has approved the sale of two new iPhone models.

The commission's Secretary General Takorn Tantasith confirmed in a tweet the country has approved sale of the iPhone 6. Meanwhile local news sources pointed out the newly added model numbers are A1524 and A1586.

Seeing as the Thailand Apple Store already stocks every smartphone Cupertino has cooked up, it's somewhat safe to assume that these two model numbers could be representative of two new iPhone 6 units.

The iPhone 6 has been long rumored to arrive in two larger skews - a 4.7-inch variant as well as a bigger 5.5-inch model.

Golden numbers

9to5 Mac reports the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C were introduced in Thailand in October 2013, a month after their September launch. So if the unknown handsets are truly iPhone 6 models it could mean Apple is spearheading a larger worldwide release.

At the same time it's entirely possible these two new handsets could be variants of the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C with updated internals reserved for smaller markets. Though, of course, there's no denying the iPhone 6 mention in the NBTC Secretary General's tweet.

This year we could see the most radically different smartphone Apple has ever made if the rumors are to be believed. Aside from the larger and varying screen size increase, the iPhone 6 has been said to feature a tougher sapphire glass display and thinner construction matching the iPad Air.

Kevin Lee

Kevin Lee was a former computing reporter at TechRadar. Kevin is now the SEO Updates Editor at IGN based in New York. He handles all of the best of tech buying guides while also dipping his hand in the entertainment and games evergreen content. Kevin has over eight years of experience in the tech and games publications with previous bylines at Polygon, PC World, and more. Outside of work, Kevin is major movie buff of cult and bad films. He also regularly plays flight & space sim and racing games. IRL he's a fan of archery, axe throwing, and board games.