In less than a month from now, fanbois will be able to rejoice as Apple unveils its latest and greatest iPhone to date this September 10, 2013.

Though the iPhone is one of the most sought out smartphones of them all, first-time buyers won’t be nearly as excited due to its high price.  Whenever Apple unveils a new iPhone, older versions see their price slashed, with carriers offering them in cheaper packages.  But are people supposed to wait a year to be able to afford what is then basically an older model? Will people on a tight budget just settle for older models or will there be a way that they can afford an up to date iPhone?

Low-cost iPhone and Phablet?

One of the strongest rumors we’ve been hearing about the new iPhone is that Apple may actually be releasing a lower-cost version of the newer model as well.  This hasn’t be confirmed, but if it does, Apple will for the first time be able to reach out to consumers in the mid-range market, rather than being the sole domain of high-end gadget buyers.

The low-cost iPhone will apparently have the same look as the original, except that the materials used will be of lower quality.  This means we can probably discount aluminum and sapphire glass, and instead expect something made out of polycarbonate and possibly an older type of Gorilla Glass.  As for the internal gubbins, Apple may use the same components that were used in the iPhone 4S, meaning the device will be lower spec and smaller than whatever the new iPhone turns out to be.  We’re not sure yet how small the iPhone mini will be, but since the iPhone 5 is bigger than the iPhone 4S, we can expect to see something of a similar size to the latter.  Any smaller and the screen would not be comfortable to use, especially for those with fat fingers.

There’s also talk of a bigger iPhone in the works, which will mark Apple’s entry into the ‘phablet’ race, taking its rivalry with Samsung up a notch.

Other rumors

Although we have the date, we don’t know yet whether the iPhone will be dubbed as the “iPhone 6” or the “iPhone 5S”, but looking at Apple’s previous habits there’s a good chance that it will be the latter.  What we do know more about though is what consumers can look forward when they finally get their hands on the shiny new device.

First off, the iPhone 6/5S will be running iOS 7, the version of iOS that’s taken a fair bit of stick for taking too many leaves from the pages of Android’s book, with all its customization, widgets, and controls. Aside from copying Android, it seems that the new software will be tracking your every move too. So if you want an Android device that’s not called an Android, and you don’t mind being tracked, iOS 7 will probably excite you :)

Aside from that business, the new iPhone is said to tout a larger-capacity battery, a new dual-LED rear-camera flash, a 12MP camera, slow motion camera feature, a fingerprint scanner, offline dictation, a Retina+ Sharp IGZO display with 1080p Full HD resolution, and may also be equipped with  LTE-A technology from SK Telecom.

Though the rest of the world may be anticipating the arrival of the new iPhone, our brothers in Russia may not share the same enthusiasm… Recently, that country’s three largest carriers all made the decision to snub the iPhone, claiming that it’s too expensive to sell the devices.

So with the release date finally penciled in and looming, it’s time for the fanbois to start ticking off the days on their calendars. Not doubt they’ll be out in their thousands, camping outside Apple stores on the eve of its release, no matter if it’s called the iPhone 6 or iPhone 5S or what size and shapes it might be available in – regardless of that it’s a brand new iPhone, and for the fanbois that’s all that counts.