Everything we know so far about Apple's rumored smaller iPhone

It could be called the 6c.

The last cheap(er) iPhone was called the 5c, the successor to that the new cheap(er) iPhone will likely be called the 6c.

The name will also work to differentiate the phone from the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus which are set to launch in October.

Apple's naming convention is fairly stable year-in-year-out, which would also suggest the new iPhone will pick up the "c" initial.

The screen may be 4-inches.

Reports have suggested that the iPhone 6c will feature a four inch screen, down from the iPhone 6s' 4.7-inch display and the iPhone 6s Plus' 5.5-inch display.

The iPhone 6c will appeal to people with smaller hands that find it hard to use the bigger iPhones and emerging markets, which are traditionally price conscious.

It might look like an iPhone 5s.

The iPhone 5c was made of plastic, but the iPhone 6c, according to reports, will be made of metal and will feature a design that is similar to the iPhone 5s.

Ben Thompson, an independent analyst who runs the Stratechery blog, speculated that one reason the iPhone 5c was discontinued was because it didn't have the same shiny appeal as the high-end iPhones — and it looks as if Apple could be trying to avoid the same mistake.

The design is reported to be slim and light.

The iPhone 5c was 9mm thick and rumours, which originate from supply chain sources, suggest that the iPhone 6c will be slimmer, at around 7.6mm, which is the same size as the iPhone 5s.

Apple goes to great lengths to make its phone slimmer and slimmer every year by making internal components (such as the battery) smaller — and that trend will likely be continued in the 6c.

It will run iOS 9 — but will get iOS 10.

Apple releases an update to iOS, the operating system on the iPhone and iPad, alongside the new iPhone model in September or October.

The iPhone 6c will launch with iOS 9, as the new version of the software — likely named iOS 10 — will not yet be out of beta based on Apple's previous development cycle.

When iOS 10 does come out, the 6c will undoubtedly get an update.

It could include TouchID.

A report from a manufacturer claims that the iPhone 6c will come with TouchID, the fingerprint authentication feature that launched on the iPhone 5.

Features such as TouchID give a device a premium feel and are constantly being updated by Apple with each new device. Apple also introduced 3D Touch in the 6s, allowing different actions for different levels of pressure.

It could be as powerful as the iPhone 6.

Supply chain sources indicate that the iPhone 6c will come with an Apple-made A9 processor, which is the same unit that powers the iPhone 6.

This addition would make it as powerful as the iPhone 6, making the life cycle of the device longer as it continues to get software updates from Apple.

The camera could be better than the iPhone 5c.

Reports from supply chain sources suggest the iPhone 6c will have the same camera as the iPhone 6: an 8-megapixel unit that was developed specifically for the newer phone.

Apple typically doesn't add crazy numbers of megapixels, but chooses to refine the internals and software that comes in iOS.

It could start with 16GB of storage.

A report from a Chinese technology blog suggested that the iPhone 6c will come with 16GB of storage as standard, up from the 8GB the iPhone 5c came with.

While 16GB is not a lot, Apple will likely also offer more storage on higher-end models.

Apple has been criticised for including 16GB of storage, when rivals include upwards of 32GB as standard on smartphones.

The battery life will be better than the 5c.

The iPhone 6c will feature a bigger battery than the iPhone 5c, according to reports from supply chain sources.

The 6c will reportedly ship with a 1,642 milliampere-hour (mAh) battery, up from the 1,510mAh battery in the 5c. A large size increases battery life.

Apple has also made improvements to iOS 9 that make it more power efficient, including a "low power" mode that switches off core services to preserve battery life when it gets low.

It will be cheap — but not that cheap.

The iPhone 5c was cheaper than the iPhone 6, but it wasn't that much cheaper. (Around £60/$88 cheaper for the 16GB model.)

The 6c will likely follow a similar pattern of being less expensive, but still expensive when compared to other Android handsets, such as the OnePlus 2 which costs £239 ($329).

Apple recently introduced a subscription-like service for the iPhone — where a user pays monthly, but gets a new phone every year — that could subsidise the price.