iPhone 6c Release Date Rumors Swirling Yet Again

iPhone 6c release date rumors have been picking up dramatically over the last month or so. Here’s the latest on when the iPhone 6c might release.

Apple’s dive into the budget smartphone market was with the iPhone 5c back in 2013 when it released alongside the iPhone 5s as a cheaper option. Granted, it wasn’t necessarily a “budget” device, since it was only $100 less than the iPhone 5s, with a price of $550 off-contract, but it was a smartphone that users could buy to save a little bit of cash up front.

The iPhone 5c came with a polycarbonate outer shell rather than aluminum and sported the regular home button instead of the Touch ID fingerprint sensor that was introduced on the iPhone 5s. Plus, it came with last-generation components that made it slightly slower than the iPhone 5s, but that lower cost was the kicker.

Fast forward to today and the iPhone 6c is rumored to release this year. There are already plenty of rumors about the device, but something that doesn’t quite seem to be nailed down yet is the iPhone 6c release date.

Recent reports suggest that we’ll see the iPhone 6c release at some point in November, but it will be announced alongside the iPhone 6s next month.

However, according to MIC Gadget, the budget device could released in late October or early November. This would be different than the iPhone 6s, which is rumored to launch next month, just like most other iPhones in the past. The reason for the later launch of the iPhone 6c isn’t officially known, but this latest report says it’s so that Apple can position the iPhone 6c as more of a stocking stuffer for the holidays to encourage parents to buy the new device for their kids for Christmas.

Whether or not that will actually work is still up in the air, as we’ll have to wait for Christmas to roll around before really knowing what kind of sales Apple sees during this time frame, but it looks like the iPhone 6c could release around the same time new iPads arrive.

The iPhone 6c is said to come with the same overall shape and design as the iPhone 6, but will be in a smaller form factor with a 4-inch display. It will also sport the same polycarbonate outer shell as the iPhone 5c, arriving in different colors as well.

It’s unknown why Apple is sticking with a 4-inch display for the iPhone 6c, but it’s possible that Apple still wants to tap into the niche market that prefers smaller screens. Apple was one of the last manufacturers to switch to larger screens in the first place, and it appears it may not be quite ready to give them up completely.

Other rumors about the iPhone 6c suggest an Apple A8 processor, as well as Touch ID capabilities and Apple Pay functionality. Essentially, it looks like the iPhone 6c will be almost exactly like the iPhone 6 performance-wise, but will sport a smaller 4-inch display and come with a slightly different design.

Furthermore, it’s likely that the iPhone 6c will see a lower price tag than the iPhone 6s, possibly going with the same $550 off-contract that we saw with the iPhone 5c, while the iPhone 6s will retain the $650 starting price. However, it’ll be interesting to see how Apple markets the pricing of the iPhone from here on out, since Verizon did away completely with two-year contracts, and it’s only a matter of time before AT&T joins in on the fun, as T-Mobile has been there for a while and Sprint is moving closer to that point.