Apple fans must be excited with the release date of the much-awaited flagship smartphone dubbed as iPhone 6 just a few weeks away. The hype around the device is even more this time, as the Cupertino giant is expected to upgrade its screen size by about .7-inch but devices like Nexus 6 and Xiaomi Mi4 have the potential to affect its sales despite huge price difference.
Apple Inc. hasn't revealed the release date of its next-generation smartphone but several reports have pointed at October launch. A senior Store Leader citing an internal Apple Retail Store meeting told MacRumors that iPhone 6 might be unveiled on September 16 before releasing it on October 14. German website, ApfelPage had earlier reported citing leaked internal documents of German wireless carrier Deutsche Telekom that the device might be unveiled on 19 September.
The next-generation smartphone from Apple is expected to do better than its predecessor in terms of sales but Xiaomi Mi4, which was released last month, and Google's upcoming flagship device Nexus 6, which may be unveiled in October, may give a run for its money.
Apple's iPhone is one of the best smartphones available in the market and its price is also high but mid-range devices like Xiaomi Mi4 and Nexus 6 have the potential to eat up its revenue. The huge price difference may also affect its sales, especially in emerging markets like China and India.
The Nexus 5 has a price tag of $349 for 16GB and $399 for 32GB, and its successor may not come with much price difference. Xiaomi Mi4 costs ¥1,999RMB ($322 approximately) for 16GB model, and ¥2,499 RMB ($400 approximately) for 32GB model. However, iPhone 6 may cost almost double the price of Nexus 6 and Xiaomi Mi8 if the price of iPhone 5s ($649 for 16GB unlocked variant) is any indication.
Interestingly, specifications of Nexus 6 and Xiaomi Mi4 may not be very different from iPhone 6 going by the reports that have surfaced so far.
Check out specification comparison of iPhone 6, Nexus 6 and Xiaomi Mi4:
| Models | iPhone 6 4.7-inch Model | Nexus 6 | Xiaomi Mi4 |
| Display | 4.7-inch sapphire crystal glass screen with 1920x1080p (440ppi) resolution | 5.2-inch full HD screen protected by Corning Gorilla Glass and have 1080x1920 pixels resolution | 5.0-inch full HD screen with 1920x1080p (441 ppi) resolution and Sharp / JDI OGS (One Glass Solution) full lamination |
| Processor | 20-nanometer A8 chip (64-bit) | Quad-core MT6732 64-bit chip that clocked at 1.5GHz, or the octa-core MT6752 SoC running at a frequency of 2.0GHz | 2.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 series quad-core CPU |
| OS | iOS 8 | Android L | Android v4.4 KitKat with MIUI |
| Camera | 8MP camera with upgrades, including flash and Optical Image Stabilization | 20MP camera with HDR mode or 13MP main camera and a 5MP front snapper | 13.0-megapixel Sony IMX214 camera with 6 element lens, f1.8 aperture, real-time HDR, 4K video recording; 8.0-megapixel Sony (IMX219) front camera |
| Memory | 16/32/64/128 GB, 2GB RAM | 32 GB internal memory and 3GB RAM | 16/64GB internal memory and 3GB RAM |
| Battery | 2,100 mAh or 1,800 mAh battery | 3100 mAh Li-Polymer battery | 3080 mAh (Li-Ion Polymer) |
