Apple is releasing three new iPhone handsets toward the second half of 2015. The lineup will be made up of S-designated handsets: the iPhone 6s (4.7-inch), iPhone 6s Plus (5.5-inch), and the all-new iPhone 6c, which features a 4-inch display.
According to DigiTimes, all of Apple's upcoming handsets will feature LTPS panels and Corning Gorilla Glass. As for the chips, the 6s series will bear the A9 chips while the 6C will sport the A8. All of the handsets will be equipped with NFC and fingerprint scanning.
Apple has partnered with LG, Sharp and Japan Display, which would take care of the stocks for the iPhone 6s Plus and iPhone 6c. In the meantime, stocks for the iPhone 6s will come from LG and Japan Display.
As for the manufacturing part, the 6s series will be handled by Foxconn and Pegatron and the 6c model by Wistron.
The 6c model will be sporting a 4-inch display, a first in the iPhone lineup. The new model was hinted in December 2014 and was rumored to be aimed at female users. Analyst Timothy Arcuri of Cowen & Co. said that the device may be designed with purpose-built low-cost components from Qualcomm, which could help in alleviating manufacturing costs.
A month later, Chinese-based site Feng.com reported that no orders had been made yet by Apple for the 4-inch iPhone from the company's supplying partner.
The 4-inch iPhone 6c is an entry-level product, the company's take on the low-end, polycarbonate-paneled iPhone 5c, which was launched in 2013.
With the new size options, Apple would have the chance to reach more customers. CEO Tim Cook observed that size preferences vary in every region.
Earlier in 2015, Cook also said that launching iPhone's new and larger models achieved the highest switcher rate among Android users over the past three years. Moreover, the latest flagships turned in more new iPhone customers compared with past iPhone models.
Apple is said to announce the new iPhones in September. Current rumors suggest that the handsets will feature 2GB of RAM and the Force Touch technology, which has so far been incorporated into Apple's new MacBook, new MacBook Pros and Apple Watch.
