A shell obtained by 9to5Mac indicates the upcoming “iPhone 6s” will retain the exterior design of the current iPhone 6, with the same thickness and other dimensions, and only slightly different interior differences. While the exterior of the new handset will remain the same, the interior components will get a nice bump, including a new Qualcomm-made LTE chip, which will provide faster LTE speeds.
As expected, these photos show that the next-generation iPhone will have a rear design identical to that of the current iPhone, similar to the transition from the iPhone 5 to iPhone 5S. Our images show no noticeable external changes coming from the iPhone 6 — even the Space Gray color has remained light, contrasting with the darker Space Gray Apple Watch — but it is possible that Apple’s final hardware could include additional tweaks.
The interior of the case does show a few differences, particularly in the mounting points for the phone’s new logic board and components. The camera openings do not allow for the much-rumored dual-lens camera system, so it looks like Apple will be sticking with a single lens shooter for now.
The antenna lines are still present on the new case, and the openings are all in the same place re: headphones, Lightning cables, and switches.
While the external look of the new iPhone won’t change much, its internal components will, of course, receive a nice bump. In addition to getting their hands on the shell for the “iPhone 6s,” 9to5Mac also obtained a logic board for the device, and it will notably boast an improved Qualcomm-made LTE chip that will provide faster LTE data connections.
As shown in the image below, the new device will include Qualcomm’s MDM9635M chip, also known as the ‘9X35′ Gobi modem platform. This new chip promises significant performance improvements over the “9X25″ chip found inside of the current iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, capable of delivering up to twice the theoretical LTE download speeds…
While the new MDM9635M chip was first introduced by Qualcomm in late 2013, it so far has only been used in a South Korean version of the Samsung Galaxy S5. The new chip has the potential for up to 300 Mbps download speeds, double what the current chip in the iPhone lineup allows. The new chip has an identical upload speed limit of 50 Mbps, and real-world performance will vary, according to the cellular network the device is on.
The new MDM9635M chip is said to be more power efficient, perhaps improving battery life in the new iPhones.
Overall, 9to5Mac reports that the new iPhone’s motherboard is slightly narrower and more compact than the current board, possibly allowing for a larger, higher capacity battery.
