Case Manufacturers Are “Confident” About the iPhone 5 Design

The next-generation iPhone from Apple will have a different design compared to the previous two generations, but not much so. A hands-on with a physical mockup reveals some changes, as well as numerous similarities.

Case manufacturers are “confident” about the new iPhone 5 design, according to The Verge. So much so that they’re already producing cases by the thousands, to be on par with the physical debut of the handset, sources reportedly said.

The publication tracked down a physical mockup at IFA, Berlin, and made a hands-on video to show the differences and the similarities between the upcoming iPhone and the iPhone 4S.

For example, the mockup shows that the iPhone 5 will look a lot more svelte compared to the current-generation hardware, despite being only half an inch taller.

The volume buttons and the hardware switch are identical to the ones found on the iPhone 4S, and the back side is actually a two-tone shell which features two radio-transparent windows at the top and bottom.

The lock switch is also the same, but the dock connector and the speaker grills are completely redesigned, as previously reported.

The phone should arrive with enhanced cameras on the front and back, as well as a repositioned jack plug (now at the bottom, just like the iPod touch).

Finally, it’s also much thinner (about the depth of the iPhone 4’s antenna frame).

However, the hands-on video reveals more than meets the eye (if you will), at first glance.

Namely, the two devices still look about the same when viewed from the front. Put aside the extra 1.5 centimeters and you’ve got yourself the third consecutive iPhone design that fails to blow away our minds.