It’s that time of the year again; time to round up rumors regarding the upcoming iPhone 6 of 2014. The iPhone 6 will be the 8th smartphone release by Apple. Dozens of independent reports have rolled in, all with something a little different. But the big news everyone seems to be involved in is the screen, which is going to be different this time around, both in size and display. In particular, IGZO, or indium gallium zinc oxide technology, could be part of the iPhone 6’s new display.

Just a little background, IGZO screens aren’t quite the industry standard as of yet, but are gaining popularity for devices with larger display. Traditionally, Apple has used LTPS (Low Temperature Polycrystalline Silicon) display, a standard for maintaining longer battery life, better electron mobility, and brighter resolution. All in all, LTPS has been prominent as far as efficiency standards go. Full HD resolution (in two sizes) is also expected. The smaller model will be a 4.7-4.8 inch, 1920x1080 resolution with 459 ppi; and the larger a 5.5 inch with 2272x1280 resolution and 400 ppi. This could mean the iPhone is climbing into the phablet territory. Besides larger screens, a 10 MP camera (3.2 MP front-facing), more RAM, and storage have been noted.

While it seems a consensus has been made on the larger screen models, an upgraded camera seems to be the most talked about hardware. A specific model is unknown, yet Apple may very well go in a different direction by sporting a refocusable, lightfield camera. Sources say the iPhone 6 will come with an improved, 10MP camera with an ft.8 aperture. Rather than a camera capturing a single 2D hook of a moment, this technology works using light fields. This gives the user the opportunity to do something really neat; refocus the shot after taking it.

A second report regarding the camera says the IR filter would change to a resin lens filter. Made by Japanese-based manufacturer, JSR, the resin lens allegedly provides better color correction. However, this idea wouldn’t go along with an upgraded MP count, it would stay with the 8. Additionally, an improved image stabilizer would be integrated with the resin lens filter. Because the iPhone has had an 8MP camera since the iPhone 4, some reports are leaning towards the first of the two upgrades. It makes more sense for it to go with a completely upgraded camera, rather than refining current technology. A final report comes from a patent Apple recently acquired for an interchangeable lens. This would involve third-party company, Olloclip, a lens solution it sells in the Apple store.



Besides the highly anticipated new camera concept, better technology solutions should be relied on internally. Claims include bumping up the iPhone RAM count to 2GB, a 1,800 mAh battery, as well as a new 64-bit, A8 processor. Comparable to the iPhone 5s, internal storage options should range from 16 GB to 128 GB. Historically, each new iPhone model has been accompanied by a major iOS update, and the iPhone 6 should be expected to run iOS 8 upon launch. Speaking of, although June has always been a good month for Apple’s phone releases, reports show a fairly wide launch date. The second or third quarter of the year is expected for release.