Will Apple launch an iPhone 6c, a 4-inch replacement for the iPhone 5c and 5s? Or a smaller version of the iPhone 6s? We examine the rumours about the iPhone 6c, including iPhone 6c release date, design, specs and features.

In September 2015 Apple's iPhone 5c turned two years old, and that led to questions about whether it'll be the first and last model of the colourful, plastic iPhone. Earlier in 2015, we were worried that Apple had decided to ditch the 'C' range from its iPhone line-up, but reports keep on appering suggesting that an smaller iPhone 6c (or iPhone 6s mini) might launch in 2016. Here, we've gathered all of the latest iPhone 6c rumours, including release date, design, specs and features speculation. We've also got iPhone 6c concept images and mockups.
In the run up to the September 2015 Apple event at which we saw the launch of the iPhone 6s Plus and the iPhone 6s there were a lot of rumours about those phones, but not so much about the iPhone 6c, the hoped-for 4-inch successor to Apple's iPhone 5c, the iPhone 5s's (marginally) cheaper and more colourful sibling. However, there are also suggestions that the new iPhone could be a smaller version of the iPhone 6s - being availabe in the same metalic finish.
Update: The latest rumours are suggesting that the new iPhone 6c will launch at an event in March with availability from April 2016, read on for more information... PLUS: China Mobile appear to have 'leaked' a March launch date for the device, which they refer to as iPhone 7c...
Read next: Apple patents and the clues they offer about the future of iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch & Mac and What Apple launched at the iPhone event

iPhone 6c launch date, when will Apple release a smaller iPhone?

While there was no new 4in iPhone announced at the 9 September 2015 event this doesn't mean that a new 4in iPhone isn't in the works at Apple. Rumours have claimed for some time that that model will not appear until 2016, but the suggestion is that Apple will not completely abandon the popular 4in form factor.
A rumour in mid November 2015, suggested that the 4in iPhone 6c had started production. Japanese site Mac Otakara also claimed that what will potentially be the new entry iPhone has already entered production and would soon start shipping.
Another rumour (as of December 2015) from Chinese website TechWeb suggests that the new iPhone 6c (or iPhone 6 mini) could arrive in February 2016, just in time for Valentine's Day.
According to the report from TechWeb (a Chinese blog, and the report is based on a Japanese report it seems), supply chain sources are claiming that the iPhone 6c is on track to debut in February 2016 (translation). However that report also suggests that the phone may not arrive until the middle of 2016 (which could suggest a WWDC launch).
A February launch date might only make sense in tandem with the launch of the Apple Watch 2, for which a romantic Valentine's Day launch could make sense (with the emphasis on the heartbeat sharing). But a March or April launch seems more likely - given that the Apple Watch launched in Spring 2015. We really can’t see Apple holding an event to launch the iPhone 6c without backing it up with the launch of the Apple Watch 2 and perhaps the iPad Air 3.
An event is indeed rumoured for March 2016, followed, perhaps, by a launch in April. Read more about the rumoured Apple Watch 2, iPhone 6c and iPad Air event in March here.
In early 2016, Chinese network China Mobile 'leaked’ details of the launch of a new 4in iPhone handset in a presentation, although the fact that the device is referred to as iPhone 7c suggests to us that this could be wishful thinking on their part.

According to the presentation the device is said to launch in March or April 2016, another reason why we don’t think the phone will be referred to as the iPhone 7c (the iPhone 7 is unlikley to launch before September).
DigiTimes sources suggest the device will launch in the second-quarter of 2016. However, DigiTimes doesn't always stick to the same story, another report from that site, published in early December 2015, suggested that component suppliers to Foxconn, the company that it tasked with building the new iPhone, believe that the new iPhone will be the iPhone 7c and it will arrive in September 2016, according to Mic Gadget.
And this view is shared by Piper Jaffrays’ Gene Munster who doesn’t think that the new smaller iPhone will arrive in the Spring. He thinks it will arrive alongside the iPhone 7 Autumn 2016. "If a 6C does launch, it seems more likely to come out with the iPhone 7 in fall 2016 rather than in early 2016," Munster said, according to a report on Apple Insider.
However, he does concede that an iPhone 6c could arrive alongside a new Apple Watch. He said: "Further, we believe a smaller iPhone would not seem to have enough clout to carry a special event by itself, thus if it were to launch in early 2016, we believe it would have to happen in conjunction with the new Apple Watch, as that seems to be the spring event moving forward."