iPhone 6s rumors: Thicker build, new NFC chip? Rumored release date debunked

Apple iPhone 6 and 6 PlusApple

Recently, there were reports that the iPhone 6s — the existence of which has not been confirmed by Apple — will be announced in a keynote scheduled on Sept. 11. However, according to 9to5mac, this is very unlikely. The site backs up its position by raising a couple of points.

For one, the date falls on a Friday, which is not something Apple would go for. The site says that the Cupertino-based company is more likely to pick a day early in the week to gather as many press and media as they can for their iPhone 6s unveiling. 

Also, the site questions the report's source: Foxconn. 9to5mac argues that the company is probably one of the last in the hierarchy to learn of the release date. Although the manufacturer knows a lot about the new iPhone's design, it is unlikely that Apple would find the need to tell them the release date. 

Nevertheless, the common belief is that the iPhone 6s will be released in September. Chinese publication IT-Times reports that Apple is bulking up its workforce in Protek, a subsidiary of Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Pegatron, by hiring 40,000 new workers who will start production in August. 

Leaked images of the iPhone 6s are also in the wild, claiming that the smartphone will be at least 0.2 mm thicker than its predecessor to accommodate the Force Touch feature. The schematic was obtained by Engadget Japan from what it cited was a Chinese supply chain source. 

According to Apple Insider, the iPhone 6s will owe its thickness to the 7000 series aluminum that it will reportedly be made of. It is the same material used in the Apple Watch. This is said to be the tech titan's attempt at making the newest iPhone iteration more durable than the ones that came before it. 

In another leak, it was revealed that the iPhone 6s will get an updated NXP chip labeled 66VP2. Its core advantage, according to reports, is that a separate secure element processor will no longer be needed. The same leak also spotted the device with 16 GB of storage, although it is believed that this is only a test model. There is belief that Apple will go for a 32 GB and a 64 GB variant for the iPhone 6s.