It’s been quiet lately . . . a little too quiet.

There hasn’t been a new iPhone model release since the iPhone 5C last September. However, it looks like Apple is continuing its annual update tradition.

Come September 9, a new model will be on the market: the iPhone 6.

According to CNET, a global media publisher of technological and consumer electronics reviews, the iPhone 6 is expected to come in two size options—4.7-inches and 5.5 inches. To put these measurements in perspective, the iPhone 5 is 4 inches.

“Most of the hype I’ve heard is about the size,” Kevin Watt ’15 said. “Unless you’re gaming or doing serious work on your phone, neither of which I do, the larger size is a bit excessive.”

Forbes predicts the “phablet” (phone-tablet) to be a two-handed device, despite “Apple’s long boasted one handed usability of previous iPhones.” This is most likely due to the larger outside frame of the phone.

“When it comes to phones, smaller is better,” Riley Thrush ’17 said. “We bring our phones everywhere we go, so they should be easy to carry.”

Claire Saracena ’15 couldn’t agree more.

“I don’t think bigger is better when it’s to the point where you won’t even be able to put your phone in your pocket,” Saracena said. Even so, like many of her friends, she would still want to update to the iPhone 6 if given the opportunity.

Fortunately, though, there is a major upside to the new model: durability.

The iPhone 6 will use sapphire crystal for its main display—a material never before used for an iPhone screen. Most smartphone displays are made from Gorilla Glass, a chemically toughened glass.

Sapphire is superior in terms of resilience, hardness, and strength. According to Phone Cruncher, a publisher of smartphone reviews, “the fracture toughness of sapphire should be around four times greater than Gorilla Glass.”

Sapphire is currently used on the iPhone 5S’ home button, and has consistently withstood trauma better than the rest of the screen. By the site of shattered smart phones everywhere, this should prove to be a considerable improvement.

However, there may be a downside to sapphire glass. Because the material transmits less light, we may be dealing with dimmer screens or reduced battery life.

Regardless, Watt considers the smaller of the two iPhone 6 models to be “a nice addition.”

“I plan on updating but not immediately,” Watt said. “Apple’s had a lot of bugs in the past that they usually need to work out. I think it’s really a waiting game.”