Key 'iPhone 6s' upgrades reaffirmed to be Force Touch, rose gold color, improved cameras & Touch ID

When Apple announces its next-generation iPhones next week in San Francisco, the sales pitch for consumers will almost certainly include Force Touch, a new color option, and upgrades for Touch ID and the already class-leading camera system. The new features likely won't include a sapphire cover lens, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo wrote in a Thursday morning note to investors. That part is said to have failed durability testing, forcing the so-called iPhone 6s and 6s Plus back to ion-strengthened glass. Echoing previous rumors, Kuo believes the rear-facing camera will gain a resolution bump to 12 megapixels, while the front-facing shooter will rise to 5 megapixels. There won't be any more space to store those larger photos, however, as capacities will remain at 16, 64, and 128 gigabytes. Other improvements on tap include Force Touch, a faster and more accurate Touch ID system, and a new rose gold color option to match the Apple Watch. Kuo believes that Force Touch is the key to driving upgrade sales. If consumers don't respond to the feature, he predicts "flattish..or slightly lower" sales in fiscal 2016 as compared to fiscal 2015. Apple will announce its new handset lineup during a special event next Wednesday, Sept. 9. AppleInsider will be on hand and will bring live coverage from inside the venue beginning at 9 a.m. Pacific time.

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