Hands-On with iPhone 6 Case and Physical Mockup

Over the past several weeks, a number of photos and videos have shown cases and even physical mockups of Apple's rumored iPhone 6. Most of the cases and mockups appear to have been based either on alleged design drawings published by Japanese magazine MacFan in late March or on essentially identical information leaking through other channels.

iphone_6_home_set

Left to right: iPhone 3G, iPhone 4, iPhone 5, iPhone 6 mockup, Retina iPad mini
(Click for larger)

MacRumors has now obtained one of these iPhone 6 cases and separately 3D printed a very rough physical mockup based on the MacFan drawings for the 4.7-inch model. Together, the case and the mockup give a good idea of the feel of a larger iPhone.

The larger iPhone definitely makes one-handed operation more difficult, even for relatively large hands, but many users are already accustomed to using two hands much of the time. With the larger body, Apple appears to be shifting the sleep/wake button from the top edge of the device to the right side, and this new location feels very natural in our hands, with the index finger sitting right on the button in a left-handed grip.

iphone_6_5_hand

iPhone 6 mockup (left) and iPhone 5 (right) in the hand
(Click for larger)

Our physical mockup includes our mocked up home screen showing that a 4.7-inch screen at the same 326 pixels per inch as the iPhone 5s would yield a 1334x750 display that could display an additional row of icons. While the mockup is based on the design drawings posted by MacFan, we did elect to slightly depress the surface of the device in order to help its physical features stand out more.

iphone_5_6_case_sides

iPhone 5 in iPhone 6 case (left) and edge views of case (right)
(Click for larger)

With the case and mockup in hand, we encourage readers with questions to share them in the discussion thread associated with this story and we'll do our best to address them.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

ios 18 4 carplay

Apple Upgrades CarPlay in Two Ways

Wednesday March 12, 2025 6:05 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 18.4 update for the iPhone includes a smaller but meaningful improvement for Apple's in-car iPhone mirroring system CarPlay. Specifically, CarPlay now shows a third row of icons, up from two rows previously. However, this change is only visible in vehicles with a larger center display. For example, a MacRumors Forums member noticed the change in a Toyota Tundra with a...
Apple More Personal Siri Ad

John Gruber Says 'Something is Rotten' at Apple

Wednesday March 12, 2025 7:39 pm PDT by
Daring Fireball's John Gruber today shared some strongly-worded comments about Apple's delayed personalized Siri features. Gruber is a well-known Apple pundit who has been writing about the company for more than two decades. In a blog post titled "Something Is Rotten in the State of Cupertino," Gruber said Apple's credibility has been "damaged" by the delay:Keynote by keynote, product by...
airpods pro 2 gradient

AirPods Pro 3 Launch Now Just Months Away: Here's What We Know

Tuesday March 11, 2025 3:26 am PDT by
Despite being released over two years ago, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 continue to dominate the wireless earbud market. However, with the AirPods Pro 3 expected to launch in 2025, anyone thinking of buying Apple's premium earbuds may be wondering if the next generation is worth holding out for. Apart from their audio and noise-canceling performance, which are generally regarded as excellent for...
Apple Maps vs Google Maps Feature

iOS 18.4 Adds a Highly-Requested Setting to iPhones — But Not in U.S.

Wednesday March 12, 2025 1:05 pm PDT by
iPhones are finally getting a much-requested setting, but availability is limited. The upcoming iOS 18.4 update introduces an option to set a default navigation app, other than Apple Maps, but unfortunately this new setting is limited to users in the EU. There, you can now set an app like Google Maps or Waze as your default navigation app on the iPhone by opening the Settings app and tapping ...
iPhone 17 Pro Render Front Page Tech

iPhone 17 Pro Machined Parts Leak Reflects Camera Redesign Rumors

Thursday March 13, 2025 3:07 am PDT by
Apple's upcoming iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to feature a significant design overhaul, and a new image apparently taken on an assembly line for the unreleased devices appears to confirm the biggest rumored change. Render of an iPhone 17 Pro model shared by Jon Prosser The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are rumored to adopt a horizontal camera bar reminiscent of Google's Pixel...
iphone 17 pro asherdipps

iPhone 17 Pro Max Rumors Allegedly Refer to 'iPhone 17 Ultra' Model

Friday March 14, 2025 7:56 am PDT by
If you've been following iPhone rumors over the last few years, you may remember reading reports that Apple flirted with the idea of introducing a super high-end "Ultra" model that would either replace its Pro Max device or sit above it in Apple's smartphone hirearchy. These reports appeared in the pre-launch iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 rumor cycles, but ultimately came to nothing. Now though, the...
Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock Light

iOS 19 Will Bring Biggest Design Overhaul Since iOS 7

Monday March 10, 2025 12:17 pm PDT by
Apple is planning for a major design overhaul of the iPhone, iPad, and Mac interfaces with the introduction of iOS 19, iPadOS 19, and macOS 16 later this year, reports Bloomberg. The update will "fundamentally change" the look of Apple's operating system, introducing a more consistent cross-platform experience. Apple plans to update the style of icons, menus, apps, windows, and system...
Sad Siri Feature

Kuo: Apple Knows Apple Intelligence is 'Underwhelming' and Won't Drive iPhone Upgrades

Thursday March 13, 2025 9:32 am PDT by
The Apple Intelligence features that Apple introduced with iOS 18 are not pushing people to upgrade their iPhones, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reiterated today. Apple's recent Siri failures are also going to have an impact on 2025 iPhone shipments, which the market is beginning to realize. As early as last July, Kuo said expectations that Apple Intelligence could drive iPhone upgrades were...
Sad Siri Feature

Kuo: Cook Should Personally Address Siri Apple Intelligence Failure

Thursday March 13, 2025 4:02 pm PDT by
Apple made a major misstep with the way that it handled the delay of Apple Intelligence features for Siri, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said today. Announcing the delay through a press statement was a bad decision, and Apple should instead have gone through official channels. Kuo referenced the well-known "Antennagate" PR crisis when the iPhone 4 launched in 2010, and the way that then Apple...

Top Rated Comments

cobbyco Avatar
142 months ago
Leaked iPhone 6 video :D
Score: 49 Votes (Like | Disagree)
3N16MA Avatar
142 months ago
Mockups are the new rage. They have pushed the blurry pic aside.
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Loyalty4Life Avatar
142 months ago
...Someone needs to update the apps on their phone.
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DBZmusicboy01 Avatar
142 months ago
I want a 4 inch iPhone 6 screen :(we shouldn't be forced in order to get the next iPhone...to have a huge screen.
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mad Mac Maniac Avatar
142 months ago
YES! Every 2 years we get an additional row of icon! :p

Why does it seem like these physical mockups are always only 4.7". I'm very interested in what the 5.5" version would look like, both in size and screen appearance (more icons??).

ps. with all this added screen size, it really is getting to be about time to do MORE with the homescreen than just a static grid of icons...
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jonnyb Avatar
142 months ago
OMG what is this the 80's?! I don't want to hold a brick up to my face to talk on the phone!

You still talk on the phone? What is this, the 80s?

The reason phones got small was because making phone calls was pretty much all they did. Smaller was better.

These devices aren't really phones anymore; they're pocket computers that have a voice calling app.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)