14 DAY TRIAL // Electronics distributor eTrade Supply has obtained parts that are reportedly destined for the next-generation iPhone. The camera module has slightly different circuitry, while the mystery part may be a simple jack (plug) component.
Featured by French site Nowhereelse.fr, which has previously leaked next-generation iPhone and iPad parts, the images show a new version of the iPhone’s front-facing camera, and another unconfirmed part which, according to the site's readers, may be a jack plug component.
The consensus among analysts and pundits alike is that Apple’s next-generation smartphone, likely dubbed iPhone 5S, will sport a similar (if not identical) design to the current model (the iPhone 5).
While the chassis will remain virtually unchanged, many of the phone’s innards are likely to be upgraded versions of the current parts.
For example, the current A6 chip will most likely be an A6X or an A7 SoC (system on a chip) with upgraded processing speeds. The rear-facing camera will most probably go from 8 megapixels to 12 megapixels.
In this respect, the front-facing camera will probably be upgraded from 2 megapixels to 3, or more.
Today’s leak cannot confirm this, but the imaging sensor behind that shiny sapphire lens is likely more condensed than the current-generation model.
The leak also seems to corroborate a report from a Vietnamese source earlier this week which claimed that Wonderful Saigon Electrics is manufacturing new cameras for Apple’s next iPhone.
An anonymous source quoted in the report said that “the next generation Apple iPhone will have 12MP camera resolution, together with many new features such as HDR shooting and better shooting [at] night.”
A slightly less encouraging rumor later came from analyst Peter Misek, with investment bank Jefferies.
The analyst said in a research note, “After our Asia trip we now think the low-cost iPhone launch could be pushed to CQ4 and have increased confidence that the iPhone 6 will not launch until CY14.”
In other words, Apple may not release its new iPhone until fall.
