iPhone 6s rumor roundup: fake Rose Gold image, Germany reservations, Intel modems, 5-inch model

Another day, another series of iPhone rumors. Yesterday’s roundup included the latest information about a September 18th next-generation iPhone launch date, faked benchmarks, and new system-on-a-chip schematics, and today our roundup covers a likely fake rose gold iPhone 6S image, reservations for the new phone from carriers, and Germany, and a pair of claims out of China about future iPhone models. Let’s start with the rose gold image:

Based on claims from reliable analysts, and Apple’s history of expanding colors and features across its product portfolio, a rose gold or pink version of the iPhone 6S sounds highly likely. But that does not mean that an image to the right from blog 996.com is legitimate. This pink iPhone image originated in March 2015, but it only started spreading around online this week, along with a compendium of similarly questionable images that purport to show a pink iPhone. Nonetheless, it shows what could be expected on September 9th.

The China-based website claims to have gotten its hands on a photo of a Rose Gold iPhone 6S in packaging, complete with an Apple Store bag in the background. The presence of packaging plus the bag indicates to us that someone with some extra time on their hands put this together and sent it around to websites covering Apple news.

With its last “S” iPhone upgrade, Apple launched a now-popular gold color, so with this 6S coming up, it would make sense for Apple to expand either rose gold or a less gold-tinted pink color over to the aluminum casing of the iPhone.

Moving on to German-carrier iPhone reservations. In what seems to have become an annual tradition since the iPhone 3G launch all the way back in 2008, multiple carriers in Germany are already offering pre-registration for the next-generation iPhone. Vodafone Germany has a form up on its website to register interest, while T-Mobile has already begun issuing tickets that can be stored in the iOS Passbook/Wallet app. These passes and paper tickets sent out to customers can be taken to a T-Mobile store in Germany for priority purchasing of the new iPhone when it ships on September 18th.

In a pair of less reliable rumors, website GForGames has summarized reports that the 2016 version of the iPhone will use an Intel-made wireless modem and that a new 5.0-inch “iPhone 6C” is in the works. Starting with the bit about Intel: this is not the first time that we’ve heard Apple is considering switching up its wireless component partner from Qualcomm to Intel. Today’s rumor originates at, of course, Digitimes:

Qualcomm will still supply all the modem chips needed for the upcoming iPhone, but Apple is mulling multiple suppliers of modem chips for its 2017 series, industry sources have claimed.

Qualcomm is partnering with TSMC to supply 100% of the modem chips for use in the new iPhones slated for launch in September 2015, the sources said. The chips are built using TSMC’s 20nm process, the sources noted.

The sources believe that Intel is unlikely to obtain modem chip orders for the upcoming iPhones. However, Intel could win orders for the 2017 iPhone models as Apple is searching for additional modem chip suppliers apart from Qualcomm, the sources noted.

As for the new iPhones next month, Apple will include more efficient and faster chips from Qualcomm. Finally, a “Foxconn insider” has posted a hand-drawn photo of what he claims to be a new 5.0-inch iPhone 6S to the Feng forum:

The claimed insider says this phone will ship in addition to the 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch models and will include an A9 processor. We find this extraordinary unlikely as a 5-inch model would sit fairly closely to both the standard iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus in terms of size in the lineup. Additionally, the sketchy nature of the blog post as well was the hand-drawn photo makes the possibility of new 5.0-inch model fairly unbelievable.