More 'iPhone 6s' Part Photos Surface as Production Ramps Up

Less than two months before Apple is expected to launch the so-called "iPhone 6s" and "iPhone 6s Plus," new photos of leaked components for the next-generation smartphones continue to surface from within the supply chain. The images support rumors that claim the next iPhones will have minimal design changes compared to the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.

The main part shared by French website Nowhereelse.fr is a purported iPhone 6s single flex cable that houses the volume rocker, mute switch, power button and LED flash. The blog also shared photos of the device's Lightning connector and headphone jack assembly, rear-facing camera rings and home button enclosure, which appears to be anodized in a gold or champagne color.

Apple has returned to using a single flex cable for the iPhone 6s after splitting the flex cables for the iPhone 6, but otherwise that part and the Lightning connector assembly remain largely unchanged, which is unsurprising given Apple's "tick-tock" refresh cycle for iPhones. Apple typically makes major changes in a "tick" year (iPhone 6) while focusing on smaller improvements and refinements in a "tock" year ("iPhone 6s").

The leaked camera rings suggest that the "iPhone 6s" and "iPhone 6s Plus" could also have a protruding rear-facing camera lens, a design choice that Apple received some complaints over for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. Particularly, some users expressed frustration at being unable to lay their smartphone flat on a table because the camera lens sticks out about one millimeter.

"iPhone 6s" and "iPhone 6s Plus" production is believed to be underway, with leaked images of the front panel, rear shell and logic board surfacing earlier this month. The smartphones are rumored to feature an A9 chip with 2GB of RAM, Force Touch, a faster Qualcomm LTE modem, an improved 12-megapixel rear-facing camera, 7000 Series aluminum and more.