iPhone 6c 'due for release in first half of 2016'

Apple is planning to resurrect its entry-level iPhone range with the iPhone 6c before June 2016, analysts predict

                          

Apple is planning to reintroduce the entry-level c iPhone range with the launch of the iPhone 6c in the second quarter of 2016, according to analysts.

The company quietly retired the iPhone 5c range in September as the new flagship iPhone 6s and 6s Plus models were introduced, but the 4-inch series is slated to return before the launch of the iPhone 7 in September 2016, according to market intelligence company Trendforce.

The iPhone 6c will keep the same 4-inch display as the 5c, whilst the iPhone 7 is expected to be upgraded to 32GB of storage and become fully waterproof for the first time, the company said.

Rumours abounded earlier in the year that Apple was planning to push the iPhone 6c out in time for Christmas, but such a move is looking increasingly unlikely.

In May rumours circulated that Apple had accidentally uploaded an image of what appeared to be the iPhone 5c sporting a Touch ID fingerprint sensor in its home button - a feature only the iPhones 5s, 6 and 6 Plus currently have. The picture was quickly replaced with a standard photo of an iPhone 5c, suggesting the original was merely poorly rendered.