The iPhone 6 release date could come as early as July 2014, a new report said, contradicting earlier suggestions that Apple is aiming to unleash the next iPhone by fall this year or late September.

According to Abhey Lamba of Mizuho Securities, supply chain preparations have been ramping up lately in Japan and Asia and all these activities seem to imply that Apple is prepping up for its next big thing much earlier than expected.

Mizuho predicts that the iPhone 6 could make a landfall by July with Lamba adding that the new line up would come in multiple sizes.

"The analyst notes supply chain vendors are getting ready for an earlier ramp up of production versus prior years," StreetInsider.com reported Lamba as saying.

The July launch, Lamba explained, will benefit Apple "as it will ensure significant availability and distribution of the new device during the holiday season."

The same report indicated too that the iPhone 6 screen size will be bumped up, the upsize ranging from 4.7-inchto 5.5-inch, echoing earlier reports that the next iPhone will sport a phablet-size display panel.

Or a separate handset will also be issued by Apple but will not carry the iPhone branding.

Lamba's report also projected the iWatch and a redesigned Apple TV releases in the second half of 2014, which he viewed as the tech giant's fresh attempts to expand its growth horizon.

Among the killer features to be expected from the next-gen iPhone are iOS 8 and the enhanced Touch ID fingerprint scanner, the analyst said. The latter, he added, will flash more functions and compatibility with other applications.

The chance is high too that Touch ID will be packed with the 2104 refresh of the iPad Air, Lamba told StreetInsider.com.

Take note that the Mizuho projection runs in counter with the Apple Insider report this week, which stated that the iPhone 5S replacement will debut in late September or exactly a year after then was introduced in 2013.

The assessment was based on the GT Advanced Technologies statement that its $578 million sapphire deal with Apple is going ahead as planned.

The sapphire glass maker, according to Apple Insider, is assured of posting significant profits in the second half of 2014, somehow confirming the assumption that sapphire will be part of the iPhone 6 and the device will arrive in the same period mentioned in the GT Advanced declaration.

Now whether the iPhone 6 release date is on July or September 2014, Apple watchers are least convinced that the device will boast of the following confirmed specs and features: a 64-bit A8 processing chip, a 4.5-inch display screen and Touch ID that is integrated with mobile payment facilities.