iPhone 7 release date: iPhone 6S this year and iPhone 7 in 2016?

The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. Rumor has it that the next iPhone will come out this year.Apple.com

Rumors about the release of another Apple flagship phone continues to surface less than a year after the latest iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus devices came out in September. Speculations claim that the Cupertino-based tech giant is planning to come up with two models in 2015, more specifically, the alleged iPhone 7 and the iPhone 6s.  

But according to a recent report in The Week, Apple Inc. might not launch two iPhones this year, but it might instead go back to its original scheme of launching one smartphone per year.  The report also mentioned that the smaller version of the iPhone 6 line, allegedly dubbed as the iPhone 6s, will be released in fall, but the highly awaited next-generation iPhone 7 device will come out next year. 

If the iPhone 7 does come out in 2016, then Apple fans just might welcome a device armed with a bigger RAM capacity as well as a wireless modem chips from Intel. 

But it seems like Apple will prioritize the unveiling of the alleged iPhone 6s instead of the iPhone 7. According to reports, the upcoming iPhone 6s will feature the newly updated TouchID sensor as well as the new touchscreen technology dubbed as Force Touch that Apple Inc. developed for the Apple Watch, which could make phone navigation using the hands a lot simpler. It could also come with water resistant protection and an improved 8-megapixel camera. 

Apple is still mum about the reported iPhone 7 and iPhone 6s releases. It's no surprise though, as the company has always been secretive about its products, and that includes the actual name of the next iPhone 6 variant. MacRumors thinks it might be time for a change in naming format.