The next-generation iPhones will make their debut soon enough and more evidence is now coming to light, but an iPhone 6c may not be in the cards.
Apple typically launches new iPhones in September, and this year it's expected to take the wraps off a new iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. While some previous speculation indicated that we might also see a new plastic variant, newly surfaced information makes no mention of an iPhone 6c.
Mobile marketing firm Fiksu has uncovered two new iPhones accessing its servers in July—the iPhone 8,1 and iPhone 8,2. As a reminder, the current iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus appeared in the company's logs as the iPhone 7,1 and iPhone 7,2, which indicates that the newly spotted iPhone 8,1 and iPhone 8,2 are the upcoming iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus.
This indicates that the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus are in testing ahead of their debut next month, and Fiksu notes they're running a range of popular apps, from travel to games to lifestyle apps. The vast majority of usage reportedly comes from the U.S., but the firm also found a couple of hits from Brazil and Germany.
When it comes to a more affordable, lower-end iPhone variant, however, things don't look very promising. Apple released an iPhone 5c back in 2013 as the plastic variant of the iPhone 5s, but the smartphone never caught up to the success of its more premium counterpart. Last year, Apple released only an iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, both premium, with no plastic version to accompany them. It now seems that a new plastic iPhone may not be in the cards for this year either, at least not for the September unveiling. While Fiksu found evidence of the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, it spotted no other iPhone model.
"This data does seem to run counter to the suggestion that Apple will also unveil a 6c, however, as we're not seeing a third device being tested," Fiksu pointed out.
On the other hand, this does not necessarily confirm that no iPhone 6c is in sight. The plastic variant could still be in the cards even if it doesn't show up in logs, but nothing is certain at this point.
At the same time, the references Fiksu uncovered in its logs are not irrefutable evidence that Apple will soon launch an iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, so it's best to take everything with a grain of salt until an official announcement.
