iPhone 6 Release Date: Galaxy Note 3 Competitor to Hit Stores in 2015

The iPhone 6 Galaxy Note 3 competitor model will see a 2015 release date.

Reuters reports that the 5.5-inch version will be delayed until next year due to difficulties with in-cell production technology. The company will start to mass produce the larger model after it completes the initial bulk of 4.7-inch models which is expected to launch in September.

Last week's report from the Japanese business newspaper Nikkei claims that manufacturers have already begun making fingerprint sensors, liquid crystal drivers and chips for the device.

Mass production of LCD panels will start as early as next month at Sharp's Kameyama factory, Japan's Mobara plant along with other locations, according to the sources. The new models are expected to have much higher resolutions screens than the ones found on the iPhone 5s and 5c.

The paper also claims that both the 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch models will launch this year.

A recent conflicting rumor agreed with the Reuters report as it pointed to Apple only launching one of the two sizes this year. UBS analyst Steve Milunovich stated in a research note that Apple is definitely working on two different models, but isn't sure that both will be released in 2014. He agrees that Apple will launch the new iPhone around September, but might hold off on the larger iteration until next year.

The iPhone 6 specs could include components that allow for Ray-Tracing capabilities.

Imagination Technologies, a graphics partner of Apple's announced a new version of its PowerVR graphics architecture that includes these features that offer more realistic lighting and shadows. This new GPU is being called the Wizard.

The Wizard GPU family represents its progress as it features a range of IP processors that offer high-performance ray tracing, graphics and compute in a power envelope that's suitable for mobile embedded use cases.