14 DAY TRIAL // RepairLabs may be late to the party – in analyzing the display assembly of the next-generation iPhone – but they’ve got a few interesting observations of their own. They say the iPhone 5 (the sixth-generation Apple smartphone) has a lot in common with the iPhone 3GS (the third-gen model from 2009).
The repair shop has obtained the entire front side of the iPhone 5, which includes the display assembly, flex cables, the front-facing camera, several sensors, and the Home button.
“Apple has redone the whole front Digitizer and LCD Assembly of the device. We see 3 flex cables. The first seems to be the proximity ear speaker, and the front camera. The last two probably LCD and Digitizer,” writes RepairLabs.
Looking at the Home button, the gadget repair company noticed a few distinctions that might spell a longer lifespan for this particular part.
“We can also see the home button is going to have more support; it’s backed by a metal bracket. It doesn’t look like it’s going to be supported anymore by prongs or a push cable. It may actually be a combination of both.”
A plastic 3GS-type midframe running around the digitizer and glass LCD assembly is the first element that the iPhone 5 has in common with the iPhone 3GS, according to RepairLabs.
Another design element reminiscent of Apple’s 2009 iPhone is the system that connects the front of the device to its rear shell.
According to the repair enthusiasts, “The metal Brackets suggest that it will be sitting into a housing, similar to a 3GS, but more updated and modern.”
“From the width of the bracket, we can tell the charger port is indeed going to be smaller because it has to fit between the two silver bottom screw brackets, just like a 3GS,” they add.
They also note that the LCD could pull apart from the Digitizer, because of the rivets on the sides. “This is similar again to the 3GS, but a departure from the 4 and 4S,” says RepairLabs.
Finally, the bottom screws and brackets also bear “a striking similarity to a 3GS,” says the company. “We think it’s going to pull open from the front.”
The tech-savvy team concludes, saying “So, could this be the iPhone 5 real deal? We think so, and we believe these exclusive photos prove a lot of what the tech world has been suspecting all along in regards to the new iPhone 5.”
“Could Apple be going back to the old faithful model of the iPhone 3Gs? It looks probable.”