New iPhone 6S images show updated NFC, 16GB base storage, fewer chips + design tweaks
Our look at the upcoming “iPhone 6S” continues today with a discussion of new internal components that are expected to be inside Apple's latest smartphone. In addition to expected changes such as a Force Touch display …
Context & Ripple Effects
This leak lands mid-arc in the iPhone 6S rumor cycle. Days earlier, casing photos showed the phone looking nearly identical to the iPhone 6 externally, ruling out a dual-lens camera redesign; separately, reporting pointed to a new Qualcomm chip that would double LTE speeds while running more efficiently.
Today's internal-component images fill in what the casings couldn't: an updated NFC setup, a logic board with fewer chips, and — most consequential for buyers — a 16GB entry-level storage configuration that appears to carry over from the iPhone 6 even as Force Touch and higher-resolution cameras push file sizes up.
First-order effects
- Buyers of the base model face a sharper trade-off: 16GB of storage now has to absorb 4K video capture and larger photos, pushing more users toward the 64GB tier and its price premium.
- Apple's bill of materials likely tightens — fewer chips and a refreshed NFC controller mean an internally revised board inside an externally unchanged body, consistent with the earlier casing leak.
Second-order effects
- Rivals gain a differentiation angle at the low end: if the 16GB base holds, Android vendors can undercut Apple on entry-level storage per dollar without touching performance claims.
- Cloud-storage and backup services become more essential to the 16GB owner, deepening the dependence on paid iCloud tiers to make the smallest configuration usable.
Third-order effects
- If the pattern holds, Apple's tiering strategy hardens: the follow-up 'iPhone 5se' is already reported to ship in 16/64GB capacities, suggesting 16GB remains the deliberate floor across the lineup rather than a transitional spec.
- Structurally, the 's' generation model — keep the exterior, upgrade radios, sensors, and silicon — lets Apple refresh annually at lower design risk while using base storage scarcity as the upsell mechanism.
The trend: Apple's annual 's' refreshes are shifting competition away from external design toward internal silicon and radio upgrades, with base storage held back as a pricing lever.