8 Likely iPhone 5 Rumors, and 2 Wild Ones

Cell Phones & Accessories

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March 24, 2023

8 Likely iPhone 5 Rumors, and 2 Wild Ones

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It happens every year: just when you start thinking about upgrading your phone, you see whispers of the next, unannounced, Apple iPhone.

Those whispers keep getting louder. Even after the anniversary of the iPhone 4 announcement on June 7, the rumors have not let up. If history is any guide, Apple will probably soon unveil the next version of the iPhone soon (though there’s reason to doubt the timing this year—see below). Mobile phone technology has evolved rapidly in past year, and new, competing devices are boasting features like 4G connectivity, NFC tech for mobile payments, and high-resolution cameras. At the same time, Apple’s chief competitor, Google Android, keeps capturing market share with innovative devices like the Droid phones. A new day is dawning for smartphones; will Apple capture it early?

If the slew of rumors are to be believed, which show everything from an iPhone with a larger screen to a version for Sprint’s network, it just might. But which rumors to believe? Here at PCMag we’ve trawled through the hodge-podge of iPhone 5 speculation to bring you eight compelling rumors and two highly unlikely ones about the next iPhone.

Meanwhile, the question of “when” has been debated mercilessly for the last few months, with most siding with a September shipment or a September announcement/October shipment timeline.

As a disclaimer, this is what we do know about the fifth-generation iPhone: nothing. The stoics at Apple never comment, or even acknowledge, on specific rumors, which is the reason why roundups like these exist in the first place. But there are two annual Apple events where the company traditionally announces next-generation products: the Worldwide Developers Conference on June 6-10 and a more music-centric event in early September. Stay iTuned.

Click on the slideshow link below to get started.

1. Likely: Edge-to-edge screen

Likely: Edge-to-edge screen

Rumors of a bigger screen have been flying for months, starting with a supposed leaked image from a Chinese iPhone parts supplier showing a 4-inch screen (rather than the iPhone 4’s 3.5-inch display), followed by an alleged leaked engineering image from iDealsChina showing an iPhone 5 with an edge-to-edge screen. The next month, in early May, an “iPhone 5G” case showed up on Alibaba.com, also showing an edge-to-edge screen.

2. Likely: Mini micro-SIM card

Likely: Mini micro-SIM card

On Tuesday, U.K. network Orange leaked that Apple is developing an even smaller micro-SD card than the ones used in iPhone 4s and iPads, in order to fit into thinner mobile devices. The approval process normally takes up to a year, but the Orange exec said it could be accelerated to “a number of months” if the idea won broad consensus among participating companies, namely the carriers.

3. Likely: NFC

Likely: NFC

There’s little doubt that Apple is working on including mobile payment technology in its future iPhones, but the question of whether it’ll adopt the industry standard, known as near-field communication (NFC) is still up for debate. Then on Monday, Boy Genius Report reported that Apple Stores were being outfitted with specially-wired tables that could equip NFC.

4. Likely: Complete redesign

Likely: Complete redesign

In April, breakways from Engadget produced a nifty visualization of a fifth-generation iPhone. The rendering shows a teardrop-shaped profile, expanded home button (to support future gesturing features), a thinner chassis, 3.7-inch display, and cable-free charging.

5. Likely: Sprint iPhone

Likely: Sprint iPhone

On Monday, the blog Stop It, AT&T discovered a job listing (since removed) for a “carrier engineer” located in Kansas City, miles away from Sprint’s headquarters in Overland Park, Missouri. Sprint, the second largest CDMA operator, could easily support the CDMA iPhone built for Verizon’s network. Preceding this rumor, a Jeffries analyst wrote “in a research note” that an iPhone was launching on Sprint and T-Mobile.

6. Likely: Relocated camera flash

Likely: Relocated camera flash

We all know how dead wrong those unofficial, pre-release iOS cases can be, but that didn’t stop many publications from speculating over a batch of “iPhone 5” cases that appeared on Chinese B2B e-commerce site Alibaba.com. The cases show the cutout for the flash shifted away from the camera hole to the opposite corner, possibly to prevent light leakage concerns that some believe caused the delay in producing a white iPhone.

7. Likely: 8-megapixel camera

Likely: 8-megapixel camera

In April, Sony CEO Howard Stringer made a passing comment about making the best cameras for Apple that immediately sparked a rumor that Sony was manufacturing an 8-megapixel camera.

8. Likely: iPhone 4S, not 5

Likely: iPhone 4S, not 5

Over the weekend a Jeffries & Co. analyst said Apple was eschewing the iPhone 5 for an iPhone with only incremental changes, coining the phrase “iPhone 4S”. “We believe the likelihood of the iPhone 5 launch in September including LTE [Long-Term Evolution] is now remote,” wrote analyst Peter Misek. “According to our industry checks, the device should be called iPhone 4S and include minor cosmetic changes, better cameras, A5 dual-core processor, and HSPA+ [EvolvedHigh-Speed Packet Access] support.”

9. Unlikely: Slide-out keyboard

Unlikely: Slide-out keyboard

In February AppleInsider cited another Taiwanese site showing what it claimed were three prototypes of an iPhone 5. Ideas in the protypes included a slide-out keyboard. While intensely interesting, this rumor barely gained traction because it’s so counter to Apple’s proclivity for touchscreens and touchpads.

10. Unlikely: 720p display

Unlikely: 720p display

On Wednesday Toshiba unveiled a 4-inch screen with a density of 367 pixels per inch (ppi), making it the highest pixel density for any commercial mobile display and capable of playing HD videos at full resolution. The title, a powerful marketing claim, was previously held by the iPhone 4. Given that Apple is reportedly working with Toshiba to make displays for its next-generation devices, some have made a connection that the fifth-generation iPhone could come with the higher-density displays as well. However this would change the iPhone’s current aspect ratio from 1.5:1 to a widescreen one, which would affect all iOS apps that were designed for the original ratio.

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Source link : https://www.pcmag.com/news/8-likely-iphone-5-rumors-and-2-wild-ones