This certainly isn’t a surprise, since Apple has been on an every-other-year program for redesigns, and last year’s iPhone 6 was a major one. The “S” phones typically look like their predecessors, and this year will be no exception.
The back of the device looks virtually unchanged, right down to the holes for the camera, microphone, and LED flash. Even the space gray color and antenna lines appears unchanged.
Another aspect worth noting is that since the holes at the rear of the device are unchanged, it means the previously reported dual-camera system won’t be ready for the iPhone 6S, and is most likely destined for the iPhone 7.
Moving to the bottom of the device reveals more of the same. The speaker grill has the same exact six holes, along with the same locations for the headphone, microphone, and lightning ports.
Although the exterior of the iPhone 6S appears to remain unchanged, Apple typically offers internal hardware upgrades. Those specific improvements haven’t been revealed just yet, but the inside of the frame reveals changes to the mounting points for a new logic board and components.
Unfortunately, it’s impossible to know what other internal hardware upgrades Apple is cooking up from looking at the metal chassis alone, but if past history is any indication, there will be a few. The iPhone 6S is expected to sport the same Force Touch functionality that is on the Apple Watch. Rumors also indicate a full HD 1080p (1920 x 1080) display, as well as an upgraded 12-megapixel camera. If those rumors come true, the iPhone 6S will still be a significant upgrade for an “off” year.
