Apple

U.S. iPhone 6s Release Date: 10 Things to Expect

Published

9 years ago

08/21/2015

As we push deeper into the year, we’re starting to hear more about the products in Apple’s pipeline. The company is rumored to have an iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus up its sleeve for 2015 and today we want to take a look at a few things you should expect from the U.S. iPhone 6s release date.

Apple still isn’t talking about the new iPhone but thanks to a growing number of details, it looks like we’re getting extremely close to an iPhone 6s launch date.

iPhone 6s rumors have been emerging at a breakneck pace and they’ve outlined everything from the iPhone 6s specs to the iPhone 6s launch date to the iPhone 6s release date. At this rate, Apple might not have too many surprises left for its inevitable iPhone launch event.

With rumors heating up, consumers in the hunt for a new device are starting to get anxious. We’ve heard from a number of friends, family and readers who are very curious about the iPhone 6s launch and release date. They want to buy the phone or at least compare it to the iPhone 6 and other flagship devices currently on the market.

Apple hasn’t confirmed anything yet but thanks to a fresh round of rumors, and a predictable history, we can outline what you should expect from the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus release date. These are a few of the things that we think you can count on from the iPhone 6s release date in the United States.

iPhone 6s Release Date Announcement

If we’re going to properly set your expectations ahead of Apple’s announcements then we need to talk about the iPhone 6s announcement itself.

Apple hasn’t sent out media invites for an iPhone 6s launch event just yet but that could happen later on this month if Apple takes the path that it did last year. Last year, Apple sent out media invites for a September 9th launch event on August 28th. The iPhone 6s launch date is heavily rumored for September 9th.

The date comes from a reliable source, BuzzFeed’s John Paczkowski, and this is when you should expect to see the iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, and the iPhone 6s release date. Apple offers firm iPhone release dates on stage and you shouldn’t expect anything less from it this year.

If there is a live stream, and we expect there to be, you’ll want to tune in to follow the action as it happens. Just know that the release date information typically comes late in the show.

U.S. iPhone 6s Release Date

We expect the U.S. iPhone 6s release date to be announced on September 9th and we expect the date itself to fall only a few short days after the announcement.

iPhone 6s release date rumors suggest that September 18th will be the company’s first release date. The timing fits Apple’s usual pattern from launch to release and this is the date that U.S. consumers should circle on the calendar.

Whether it’s September 18th or September 25th, the U.S. will almost certainly be among the first regions to get the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. Here’s who got the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus on the first day of availability:

United States
United Kingdom
Canada
France
Germany
Australia
Japan
Puerto Rico
Hong Kong
Singapore

Here’s who got the iPhone 5s first in 2013:

United States
United Kingdom
Canada
China
France
Germany
Australia
Japan
Hong Kong
Singapore

And here’s how the iPhone 5 release played out in September of 2012:

United States
United Kingdom
Canada
France
Germany
Australia
Japan
Hong Kong
Singapore

There are a few minor differences but the United States’ presence has remained static for many years and there’s no reason to think that that will change this year.

iPhone 6s Pre-Orders

We’ve already started to see carriers outside of the United States take reservations for the new iPhone. U.S. carriers remain mum and we wouldn’t expect them to break their silence until after the iPhone 6s launch date.

We’ve heard rumors that the company might start pre-orders in the United States and other regions on September 11th and that’s what we would expect if Apple does decide to offer pre-orders. It didn’t offer iPhone 5s pre-orders though it did offer them for last year’s models.

Even if Apple doesn’t offer iPhone 6s pre-orders, and we’d be shocked if it didn’t, expect U.S. retailers to take reservations for the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. In the past, we’ve seen retailers like Best Buy and Target offer reservations and we have no doubt that they’ll try and capitalize on the iPhone’s popularity in 2015.

And yes, we’d expect iPhone 6s pre-orders to start at Midnight at Apple and its carrier partners. So if you want to order as soon as possible, plan to be up late the night of September 10th.

Tons of Carriers

Speaking of carriers, we’d expect the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus to get released on a wide swath of American carriers including AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular, and Verizon. We’d expect those five, at the very least, to be involved in the initial iPhone 6s release date.

We’d also expect the new iPhones to make their way to smaller regional carriers in the United States. Carriers like C-Spire and lesser known carriers like Bluegrass Cellular typically offer the iPhone on their networks.

We’d expect to see them and many others offer the iPhone 6s. And we’d expect them to start offering the phone within a few weeks of the initial U.S. iPhone 6s release date.

Tons of Retailers

You can also expect a ton of U.S. retailers to be involved. Best Buy, Target, Walmart, Costco, and Sam’s Club are among the most likely candidates.

There will be no shortage of retail options for those looking to buy the iPhone 6s in and around its release date in the United States.

Stock Shortages

We do, however, expect to see some stock shortages. The iPhone is typically very hard to find in the days after the initial pre-order period and we wouldn’t be surprised to see some models, or all models, sell out within a few hours. This is precisely why you’ll need to plan to be up late.

We’d also expect stores to get an uneven amount of stock. In the past, we’ve walked into stores that have a ton of silver but no gray options. Same goes for storage. While one Best Buy location might have a ton of 128GB iPhone 6s models, an AT&T store nearby might have none.

If you have very specific storage and color options in mind, you should expect to have to pre-order the iPhone 6s or iPhone 6s Plus in the early goings. Otherwise, you might be waiting beyond the device’s release date for your shipment to arrive on your doorstep.

Confusion Over Buying Options

We expect there to be a ton of confusion regarding the changes carriers have made to the iPhone buying process.

Earlier this year, Apple stopped selling the AT&T iPhone 6 on-contract and it was only a matter of time before we saw other carriers start shifting away from two-year contracts.

Verizon is no longer selling the iPhone with two year contracts. When you buy Apple’s new iPhone 6s will have the option to choose a new data plan from the options below:

Small – 1GB – $30 a month
Medium – 3GB – $45 a month
Large – 6GB – $60 a month
XL – 12GB – $80 a month

You’ll still be able to buy the AT&T iPhone 6s on-contract but you’ll need to go into a physical AT&T retail to do so. And if you decide to go that route, remember that AT&T recently upped its activation fee to $45. AT&T’s also added a $15 upgrade fee for AT&T Next.

Consider this your fair warning and be sure to tell people you know because we expect tons of confusion and frustration regarding these changes once the U.S. iPhone 6s release date comes around.

iPhone 6s Deals & Trade-ins

We wouldn’t expect any massive iPhone 6s deals right off the bat. If Walmart sells these phones on-contract, we could see it take the usual $20 off the price points but that will probably be one of the best deals you’ll find.

We would, however, expect carriers and maybe some retailers to offer trade-ins for the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. Last year, Verizon sweetened its iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus launch with an iPhone trade-in that offered a $200 gift card for a working iPhone 4, 4s, iPhone 5, or iPhone 5c and a $300 gift card for a working iPhone 5s.

We’d expect Verizon, and other carriers, to do something similar this year.

iPhone 6 & iPhone 5s Deals

Look for retailers and carriers to offer a number of iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and iPhone 5s deals as they look to get rid of stock after the iPhone 6s launch date.

We’re still not sure how the iPhone lineup will look after the arrival of the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. Apple could choose to drop the price of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus or kill them completely like it did with the iPhone 5 after the arrival of the iPhone 5.

Whatever the case may be, retailers will start offering deals on older iPhone models which means you’ll have options if you don’t fall in love with the iPhone 6s.

Solid List of iPhone 6s Accessories

While the iPhone 6s might be in short supply, we don’t expect there to be a shortage of iPhone 6s accessories. We typically see manufacturers get a ton of iPhone accessories out in time for the U.S. release date. The iPhone is still extremely popular so we don’t expect to see companies drag their feet in 2015.

We wouldn’t expect every single iPhone 6s accessory to debut in September but we should see an extremely healthy ecosystem, especially if iPhone 6 cases work with the iPhone 6s.

iPhone 6 iOS 9 Update: 7 Important Details

iPhone 6 iOS 9 Performance

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Shortly after the conclusion of the WWDC 2015 keynote, Apple released an iOS 9 beta for developers. A few weeks after that, the company released a public iOS 9 beta for members of the public Beta Software Program. The public iOS 9 beta is the first major public iOS beta.

Thanks to these iPhone 6 iOS 9 betas, we've learned a whole lot about the iPhone 6 iOS 9 update for the regular model and the iPhone 6 Plus. We've seen new and important features emerge and we've also seen beta testers relay their thoughts about the update's performance.

iOS 9 beta users have been looking at the update's performance on the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, even comparing the software to Apple's latest update, iOS 8.4.1. Those links are just two examples. There are tons of iOS 9 beta 5 videos on YouTube.

These videos don't show the final version of iOS 9 but they're still important details nonetheless. One, because iOS 9 beta 5 could be close to the finished version of the software and two, they'll give you an idea about what to expect from the iOS 9 update's features on the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.

You don't want to go into the iOS 9 release date blind and we highly recommend keeping tabs on the iOS 9 beta so that you're comfortable when the update arrives for your device.