German 'iPhone 6s' launch pegged for Sept. 18, in line with Apple's usual release schedule

At least two out of three major German carriers are on board for Sept. 18, sources explained to Macerkopf. The two participating companies haven't been identified, but the German wireless market is controlled mostly by O2, Vodafone, and T-Mobile DE (owned by Deutsche Telekom). All three will likely be ready on the same day, since they already carry the iPhone 6.

Apple is expected to reveal at least two new iPhones — including a so-called "6s Plus" — on Sept. 9, and ship them later in the month. A Sept. 18 date would be consistent with the company's launch strategy in recent years, which has involved putting iPhones on sale the second Friday after their announcement.

Germany has long been one of Apple's first-tier launch countries. If the rumored launch date is accurate, that would therefore point to when the 6s will ship in other first-tier regions — namely Australia, Canada, France, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, the U.K. and the U.S., with mainland China being a possibility.

Featurewise the device is rumored to have a Force Touch display, an "A9" processor, and 2 gigabytes of RAM. It should also have a 12-megapixel rear camera and a 5-megapixel front-facing module, the former using Sony's RGBW technology to improve low-light shooting.