iPhone 6 Concept Image by Dani Yako
iPhone 6 Concept Image by Dani Yako Dani Yako via Concept-Phones

The iPhone 6 release date could be as early as August 2014 as reports from Asia this week indicated that production of display panels for the next iPhone will commence in May, specifically for the 4.7-inch variant.

Reuters reported on Tuesday that Apple suppliers Japan Display, LG and Sharp will start their manufacturing activities next month for the thin touch panel films that is quite similar to the one used in the iPhone 5S.

The difference, of course, is the stretched dimension of the same screen material for the iPhone 6, which is in line with earlier reports that Apple intends to upsize the display attributes of the next iPhone, ditching in the process the 4-inch screen standard that graced the iPhone 5S.

The May start will likely lead to an early rollout in 2014 for the upcoming iPhone, which according to Gotta Be Mobile could come in August. The same GBM report based its forecast on a recent declaration by a major Russian telco executive that "the iPhone 6 will arrive in Russia in September (2014)."

Granted the statement is true, it can be assumed then that the handset's global debut will the month before as GBM noted that in previous iPhone release cycles, major markets like the U.S. and Australia get the new iPhone models first before the emerging markets, in which Russia is lumped with.

Following what seemed as solid clues on when the next iPhone is breaking out, the device's key specs were seemingly uncloaked by fresh reports and analyses - three of which are labelled as practically confirmed and provided below.

4.7-inch phone screen

The new Reuters report echoed the earlier assessment by multiple Apple watchers that iPhone fans can surely expect the 2014 build to boast of a slightly taller and wider viewing panel. As the news agency added that the bigger iPhone phablet, its screen allegedly measuring up to 5.5-inch, it is concluded that immediate focus for Apple is the 4.7-inch model.

The development gives credence to reports that while Apple plans to upgrade the screen size of its flagship iPhone, it remains unwilling to go too big. The sweet spot then is a 4.7-inch screen profile that remains optimal for one-hand use.

64-bit A8 processing chip

The jump from A7 chip to A8 in the iPhone 6 is natural course for Apple, experts said. In a new paper issued by AnandTech and picked up by BGR, Apple is predicted to let out fresh tricks via its 2014 iOS device line up.

It is hardly surprising then that the iPhone 6 and the likely the iPad Air 2 will be powered by an A8 chip that is boosted by incredible power and speed, AnandTech said on its report.

2GB of RAM or more

The same AnandTech report appeared convinced that from 1GB of RAM in the iPhone 5S, the iPhone 6 will enjoy higher RAM provisions with 2GB as the minimum allowance.

The shift is to ensure that users will not "run into memory limits before (hitting) CPU performance limits," AnandTech said in explaining why the RAM upgrade is almost confirmed for the iPhone 6 release date on August 2014.