Force Touch Could Be Exclusive to 'iPhone 6s Plus'

Apple's pressure-sensing Force Touch technology could be exclusive to the so-called "iPhone 6s Plus," according to Taiwan's Economic Daily News (via GforGames). The report, which claims Taiwanese manufacturer TPK will be responsible for supplying Apple with the Force Touch sensors, makes no mention of the "iPhone 6s," leading to speculation that the technology could be reserved for the larger iPhone 6s Plus.

iphone6_6plus_laying_down
It has been reported that Apple will include Force Touch technology on the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus on at least three occasions since the beginning of this year. TechNews Taiwan reported that the iPhone 6s will gain Force Touch and 2GB of RAM in January, while AppleInsider reported in March that Apple's next-generation iPhones will feature Force Touch, but lack a previously rumored dual-lens camera system.

The Wall Street Journal corroborated both reports later in March, claiming that Apple will introduce Force Touch and is considering a new pink color option for its next-generation iPhones. Currently built into the upcoming Apple Watch and 12-inch Retina MacBook, Force Touch lets devices distinguish between a light tap and a hard press, enabling new gestures that yield different actions depending on how much pressure is applied.

While this latest report should be treated with a proverbial grain of salt, making Force Touch exclusive to the iPhone 6s Plus would not be an unprecedented move. Apple limited optical image stabilization (OIS) to the iPhone 6 Plus, and the larger smartphone also features a landscape mode. The higher cost of Force Touch sensors could be another reason that Apple would limit the technology to the more expensive iPhone 6s Plus.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iphone 16 display

iPhone 17's Scratch Resistant Anti-Reflective Display Coating Canceled

Monday April 28, 2025 12:48 pm PDT by
Apple may have canceled the super scratch resistant anti-reflective display coating that it planned to use for the iPhone 17 Pro models, according to a source with reliable information that spoke to MacRumors. Last spring, Weibo leaker Instant Digital suggested Apple was working on a new anti-reflective display layer that was more scratch resistant than the Ceramic Shield. We haven't heard...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Reaches Key Milestone Ahead of Mass Production

Monday April 28, 2025 8:44 am PDT by
Apple has completed Engineering Validation Testing (EVT) for at least one iPhone 17 model, according to a paywalled preview of an upcoming DigiTimes report. iPhone 17 Air mockup based on rumored design The EVT stage involves Apple testing iPhone 17 prototypes to ensure the hardware works as expected. There are still DVT (Design Validation Test) and PVT (Production Validation Test) stages to...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue

20th Anniversary iPhone Likely to Be Made in China Due to 'Extraordinarily Complex' Design

Monday April 28, 2025 4:29 am PDT by
Apple will likely manufacture its 20th anniversary iPhone models in China, despite broader efforts to shift production to India, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In 2027, Apple is planning a "major shake-up" for the iPhone lineup to mark two decades since the original model launched. Gurman's previous reporting indicates the company will introduce a foldable iPhone alongside a "bold"...
apple watch ultra yellow

What's Next for the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch SE 3

Friday April 25, 2025 2:44 pm PDT by
This week marks the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch, which launched on April 24, 2015. Yesterday, we recapped features rumored for the Apple Watch Series 11, but since 2015, the Apple Watch has also branched out into the Apple Watch Ultra and the Apple Watch SE, so we thought we'd take a look at what's next for those product lines, too. 2025 Apple Watch Ultra 3 Apple didn't update the...
iphone 17 air iphone 16 pro

iPhone 17 Air USB-C Port May Have This Unusual Design Quirk

Wednesday April 30, 2025 3:59 am PDT by
Apple is preparing to launch a dramatically thinner iPhone this September, and if recent leaks are anything to go by, the so-called iPhone 17 Air could boast one of the most radical design shifts in recent years. iPhone 17 Air dummy model alongside iPhone 16 Pro (credit: AppleTrack) At just 5.5mm thick (excluding a slightly raised camera bump), the 6.6-inch iPhone 17 Air is expected to become ...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 13 New Features

Wednesday April 23, 2025 8:31 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
iPhone 17 Pro on Desk Feature

All iPhone 17 Models Again Rumored to Feature 12GB of RAM

Tuesday April 29, 2025 3:36 am PDT by
All upcoming iPhone 17 models will come equipped with 12GB of RAM to support Apple Intelligence, according to the Weibo-based leaker Digital Chat Station. The claim from the Chinese leaker, who has sources within Apple's supply chain, comes a few days after industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that the iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max will all be equipped with 12GB of RAM. ...
AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Tuesday April 29, 2025 1:30 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...

Top Rated Comments

arn Avatar
132 months ago
Ugh, that would be so dumb. Developing for three different screen sizes is one thing...but having your app literally feel different on one device is going to suck as a developer.

This is going to be the case regardless, since there are a ton of ios devices that will still exist without force touch.

arn
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jclardy Avatar
132 months ago
Ugh, that would be so dumb. Developing for three different screen sizes is one thing...but having your app literally feel different on one device is going to suck as a developer.
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Trik Avatar
132 months ago
I really hope this isn't true, it already annoys me that I don't have optical image stabilization. I tried the iPhone 6+ for a couple weeks... it was just too big.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Logic368 Avatar
132 months ago
And here I thought Apple wasn't kidding when they were talking about not fragmenting their ecosystem...
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Tycho24 Avatar
132 months ago
I highly doubt it.

times one thousand.....

We are supposed to believe that they can make it work on a 1.5" screen, a 5" trackpad, a 5.5" screen, but not a 4.7" screen?? Lol, why not??
Oh yeah... because a random worker at a supplier in China didn't happen to mention it. Seems legit. =P
It couldn't be that their company wasn't the one to get that contract or anything...
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
baller1308 Avatar
132 months ago
I hope not, not everyone wants a big ass phone.:rolleyes:
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)