Everything we know so far about the next iPhone

In apparent discussions with Apple's suppliers, the Wall Street Journal reported that the next iPhone will be available in the same 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch variations that are currently available.

The same Wall Street Journal report claims that Apple's supposed suppliers said there would be a pink option for the iPhone's aluminum casing. (The model shown here is the pink iPhone 5C, which is made of plastic.)

Leaks from Future Supplier, posted on nowherelse.fr, show a purported updated iPhone 6 Plus casing that's stronger than the current model, perhaps to prevent bending.

There were concerns that the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus could bend under a certain amount of force, an issue that became known as "Bendgate."

MacRumors noticed that KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo thinks that the next's iPhone's internal hardware and features will be improved to the point that Apple will skip the "S" model for the next iPhone and just call it the iPhone 7.

Normally, the S model of an iPhone generation comes with some performance improvements and sometimes an additional feature or two. For example, Apple added Touch ID and a dual-flash in the 5s, while the iPhone 5 did not have these features.

Bloomberg reported that Apple partnered with Samsung in April to develop new processors for the next iPhone. Presumably, the new processors will allow for better performance.

Apple blogger John Gruber posted via The Tech Block that "Apple is working on the biggest camera jump ever."

Gruber's account suggests that Apple's new camera for the next iPhone could have two lenses and it could take DSLR-quality photos. But the account is vague and there are barely any details.

The Wall Street Journal reported back in April that Apple bought the Israeli high-quality, small-form-factor camera maker, LinX, which could lead to some major improvements to the iPhone's camera. But it's nothing concrete, as Apple (and other tech companies) often buy companies like LinX and nothing comes of it, at least not in the immediate future.

There have been several rumors, again stemming from the Wall Street Journal, that the next iPhone will have a similar Force Touch feature that Apple introduced with its new 12-inch MacBook and Apple Watch.

It's not confirmed, but it makes total sense. A Force Touch-enabled display can register varying degrees of pressure, which could add better ways to interact with the iPhone.

For example, a hard-press on the screen could bring out a pop-up menu to change contextually relevant settings rather than pulling out a whole new page for menus and options.

MacRumors pointed out that Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggests that the next iPhone "will be equipped with an upgraded Touch ID module, with which Apple intends to offer a better and safer Apple Pay user experience with reduced reading errors."

Touch ID works well enough, but it's not perfect. And Apple surely wouldn't settle on "well enough."

Analyst Timothy Arcuri from Cowen and Company received reports that Apple had everything in place to make and release a third iPhone that would have a 4-inch screen with the same internal components as the current iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, and that it would be called the "iPhone 6c."

But Arcuri said Apple scrapped those plans.

It's more reality than rumor at this point.

A public beta of iOS 9 is already available, so some people already have a pre-release version on their iOS devices, and it's likely that Apple is ironing out any kinks before it makes an official release with the launch of the next iPhone.

iOS 9 will bring small but significant updates. Among many is a low-power mode that apparently give iPhones more battery life.