Latest developments in Europe and a new Apple patent will likely dictate the final make of the phablet-size iPhone 6 on its release date, which is rumoured to become a reality in the first half of 2014.

How the supposed large-screen iPhone will look and behave will depend on the outcome of a proceeding initiated by the European Union (EU), according to reports by Gotta Be Mobile.

Apparently, the EU is coming up with a continent-wide ruling that would require mobile device makers to standardise the connecting port that will be used in upcoming builds of smartphones and tablet computers.

The goal of the EU memorandum, which GBM said requires the approval of the European parliament, is to eliminate waste. And by using a universal port for connecting and charging purposes on all gadgets that will hit the market, this purpose will be realised.

At the moment, the emerging standard is the microUSB 3.0, which has been gradually seeping into Android and Windows devices. The recently released Galaxy Note 3 was designed with the same port though slightly modified, which according to experts will allow fast charging when the device is hooked up into a PC and swift data transfer.

The move, however, will contradict Lighting connector standard, which according to experts will likely see early retirement by the time the next iPhone model is introduced. The popular belief is it will be called the iPhone 6.

Lightning port was first seen via the iPhone 5 and is also employed with the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C rollout.

It is highly likely that Apple will heed the EU ruling as it is more costly to produce devices with different regional standards. Besides, microUSB 3.0 is widely regarded as a technology that is at par with Apple's proprietary system.

From its outside make, another hint came out, pointing to how the graphical user interface in the iPhone 6 will appear.

In a new patent discovered by Patently Apple, it is suggested that the iOS device maker is considering inclusion of Radial Menus on its upcoming hardwares, which comprise of the iPhones, iPads and all the Mac variants.

Radial Menus was described in the new patent as "directed towards the presentation of menu or toolbar options in a graphical user interface."

"Specifically, the invention is directed towards presenting these options in a radial form. Radial menus could provide desired menu selections without the difficulties inherent in drop-down menus," the patent filing was reported by Patently Apple as saying.

Recently approved both in South Korea and the United States, the patent was filed in 2009, which should indicate that Redial Menus integration with iOS 7 and Maverick OS is not a remote possibility.

These two killer features will likely come right out of the box with the iPhone 6 release date that numerous analysts said will occur between January and March 2014.