New iPhone 6 Photos Leaked As Expected Launch Date of Sept 9 Looms

The imminent launch of Apple’s iPhone 6, expected to take place during a media event on September 9, has caused the rumour-mill to go on overdrive with leaked photos splashed across the internet.

Most reports suggest that the new phone will come in two sizes, with a 4.7-inch model expected to be launched first, followed by a 5.5-inch model later in the year or sometime in 2015.

The iPhone 6 is also expected to be much thinner than its predecessor, the iPhone 5s, measuring between 6mm and 7mm. Speculation is also ripe that the new device will have an updated iOS (dubbed iOS 8), a faster processor and a better camera.

The latest set of photos, published by Sonny Dickson, an Australian who has previously leaked information and photos of Apple products, show the backside of the new device.

Posting the photos on Twitter, Dickson reportedly said the photos were “100% the real deal. Just wait and see.”

Another set of leaked images, sent to TechRadar, show packed retail boxes of the new device.

The images were reportedly taken by an Apple beta tester, and although not verified, they seem to indicate that the iPhone 6 will have a larger screen and slimmer frame with rounded edges.

“If these photos turn out to be real, the new iPhone 6 is going to be a handsome device, and it will also be remarkably thin. Moreover, even with the changes, it will still look very familiar and very much like an iPhone,” the TechRadar report said.

Russian designers Feld and Volk have also shared photos of what they claim is “the real iPhone 6 body.” The photos, purported to be of the 4.7-inch model, reveal recessed volume button cutouts.

Another photo shows a protruding rear camera, which, according to the site Macrumours, is more likely to feature on the 5.5-inch model rather than the 4.7-inch model.

The iPhone 6, Apple’s ninth iPhone model, is also touted to introduce features such as ‘HealthKit’, a service which will provide aggregated information on parameters such as blood pressure, pulse and weight and ‘HomeKit’, through which users can control home appliances and other connected devices.

US-based Apple, which is struggling with growing competition in the booming smartphone segment, has seen its global marketshare dipping slightly in recent months. According to IDC, the company shipped 35.1 million units in the second quarter of 2014 – up 12.4 per cent compared to Q2 2013, but marketshare fell to 11.9 per cent – down from 13 per cent during the same period a year ago.

“Apple’s second quarter is always its seasonal low of the year, but even more so this time in advance of the iPhone 6, with consumers holding their collective breath for the long-awaited bigger screens,” IDC said. “Given the pent-up demand, the third quarter could be a drought or a flood, depending on the timing of the next launch.”