A report in June claimed Apple had started early production of its two new iPhone models, the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, and that volume production would kick off sometime in July.

A new report from The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday supports that claim. Citing sources within Apple’s supply chain, the report claims that the iPhone maker has asked its suppliers in Asia to manufacture a combined 85 million to 90 million units of the new 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch iPhones by year end.

If accurate, this sets a new record for an initial iPhone production order. By comparison, Apple ordered a combined 70 million to 80 million iPhone 6 and 6 Plus devices for the same period last year.

Following the launch of the larger-screen iPhones, Apple went on to sell a record 74.5 million iPhones in the first quarter of availability, ending December 31.

The report also corroborates rumors that the new iPhones will feature Force Touch and mentions that Apple may add a fourth color option to the new models. Varying reports have suggested a new rose gold color or a new pink color for the aluminum iPhone casing.

According to the report, long-time Apple supplier Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. Ltd. – better known as Foxconn – is hiring additional workers at its main iPhone plant in China in anticipation of increased iPhone production over the coming months.

Apple is reportedly also considering Wistron Corp. – a Taiwanese manufacturer with experience in manufacturing the iPhone 5c – as a third possible assembler for the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus models. If successful, Wistorn will join Foxconn and Pegatron Corp. to assemble this year’s iPhones.

Rumors and leaked images have revealed that the iPhone 6s will look identical to the current iPhone 6, but internal changes are expected, including a 12-megapixel camera, the aforementioned Force Touch screen, a more powerful A9 processor with 2 GB of RAM, a new LTE modem enabling faster download speeds, and more.

Apple is expected to introduce the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus sometime in September alongside the release of the company’s new mobile operating system, iOS 9.

Image credit: mgmsaji via Pixabay.com