It's said to be pictures of a legitimate iPhone 6, the TMZ-watermarked images of a device the tabloid says was smuggled out of a Foxcomm factory in China by one of the plant's former employees.

The purported iPhone 6 in TMZ's images is noticeably larger than the iPhone 5 in the pictures in which the two handsets are placed side by side. It could be the lighting, but the "iPhone 6's" back paneling looks curiously dull and suspiciously more like plastic than aluminum.

The individual in possession of the purported iPhone 6 is said to be a friend of the Foxcomm employee who secreted the smartphone out of the factory. The guy now in possession of the "iPhone 6" describes the device as being noticeably lighter than the smaller iPhone 5.

Despite TMZ saying Foxcomm rules have prohibited the smartphone from using an authentic version of Apple's iOS 8, forum watchdogs have called into question everything from the phone's bezel to its graphical user interface. 9To5Mac calls the phone in TMZ's images a down-right clone, noting that the Calendar widget appears to be fabricated.

"Most icons in iOS are simply images which can be ripped out of the system firmware for these clone manufactures to exploit, but the calendar icon is actually generated dynamically (so the day and date labels can update to match the current system time)," states 9to5Mac. "This makes it an easy way to spot clones, as the fakes are often too lazy to recreate this accurately. In this case, the first image shows that the Calendar icon uses a heavy bold font-face for the date ('13'), when iOS 7 and iOS 8 use a much thinner lightweight font."

Whether the device in TMZ's images is an authentic prototype of the iPhone 6 or a creative compilation of the smartphone's rumored features, Apple's latest smartphone is expected to be unveiled at a "huge" media event on Sept. 9.

Apple's next smartphone is expected to employ sapphire in its screen in some capacity, though there have been conflicting reports as to how the tech firm will use the crystal on its devices. After a scratch test proved the screen hardness of a phone alleged to be an iPhone 6 fell somewhere between the strength of Corning Gorilla Glass and pure sapphire, it was suggested that Apple may be planning to use a composite of sapphire crystal to protect the faces of its latest smartphones.

For a roundup of the iPhone 6's rumored specs, check here.