14 DAY TRIAL // High-resolution photos of the iPhone 5 chassis and back plates are starting to surface on the Internet revealing Apple’s plans with the upcoming version of the handset. The design is new, albeit not completely different from the current generation of iPhones.
Several iPhone repair shops have started to receive parts that reportedly make up the next-generation smartphone from Apple.
Leaked in pictures across the web, the parts indicate several major changes from a design standpoint, including a metal back, a new dock connector, and more.
9to5mac notes that all the images it has been receiving confirm that the next iPhone will have a metal back. Apple is not going with a tapered design, as previously rumored, but with a flat one - meaning no changes in this department, three iPhone generations in a row.
The chassis is a unibody construction, which holds 90 percent of the entire enclosure in a single metal component. Speaking of which, the alloy used is not Liquidmetal, but an aluminum mix.
What else? The back of the phone features two shades of color. The colors are stronger at the top and bottom. The plate covering most of the phone’s back features different shades - dark gray for the black model, and a pale beige for the white model. There’s more. Much more!
The jack connector (for your headphones) has been moved to the bottom, next to the redesigned grills covering two much-improved speakers (or so we’re told). Between the grills, there’s a visibly redesigned dock connector as well.
As rumored, the connector is something of a mini USB port, though still a custom plug requiring the proprietary Apple cable. We’re also told Apple will be transitioning all its iDevices to this new spec.
The Home button is still there, and there seems to be a relocated microphone between the back camera module and the LED flash. Apple’s iPhone uses not one, but two mics for high-quality recordings.
Skipping over some obvious design elements (such as a black coat of paint on the metal frame surrounding the black model), the display will indeed be larger. 4-inches on the diagonal, these sources say it measures.
It isn’t clear if Apple is still using the external metal frame as an antenna.
That’s pretty much it for now, but stick around, for there will be many more such leaks really soon. As every year goes, this is just the tip of the iceberg.
