iPhone 5S: Will it look the same as the iPhone 5?
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)
Editors' note: This story was originally published on December 6, 2012. We'll continuously update this piece up until the device's official launch; let us know if we missed any rumors ourselves.
iPhone rumors are like flies at a summer picnic: they're nearly unstoppable. Collected in one batch are all the iPhone 5S/6 rumors CNET has reported so far, with some commentary on where these rumors came from.
We always have long wish lists for newer features and further redesigns, but the bottom line is this: nobody knows exactly what we'll get until Tim Cook reveals it on stage later this year.
That said, we've got plenty of educated guesses. But before we get started:
When will we get it:
Odds are strong that the immediate successor to the iPhone 5 will debut in September or October-- the last two iPhones were announced within the same window.
The release will all but certainly coincide with the availability of iOS 7 and the new phone's design should follow the iPhone 5's.
Beyond those obvious notes, the areas that seem most ripe for updating on the "iPhone 5S" would be the resolution of the cameras. And now that there's a 128GB iPad, maybe there will finally be a 128GB iPhone option, too.
What we don't know:
Everything else is pretty much a crapshoot. A bigger screen? CEO Tim Cook says no -- but saying one thing and doing the opposite would hardly be a first for Apple. Beyond a screen size change, though, Apple could also go with a different technology -- say, Igzo or OLED.
There are plenty of other unknowns, too. Will there be another iPhone that debuts with a fall model? Could the iPhone product line split into several differently sized models? Will an affordable "new" budget-line iPhone emerge? Will Apple finally add NFC to the iPhone, as part of a new mobile payments scheme? Anything could happen. Or not.
As more rumors emerge, they'll be added here.
The rumors thus far:
June 21, 2013
New photos show a tweaked rear shell with a larger LED flash and a main logic board with a new layout for components.
June 9, 2013
The Wall Street Journal reports Apple's next smartphone won't be dramatically different than the current model.
May 23, 2013
The rumored iPhone 5S might come in green, gold, or pink and there's the possibility of a dual-LED flash.
May 8, 2013
A Morgan Stanley note to investors stated multiple new iPhones are coming in September with production starting in June or July.
May 7, 2013
Sharp will begin production of the display "panel" for the "next" iPhone model at its Kameyama plant in Mie prefecture in June, according to a report in a major Japanese industrial newspaper.
April 22, 2013
Another rumored delay to the release of the new iPhone pushes back its release date from July to August or September.
April 18, 2013
Mobile case maker Tactus shared a photo of what it claims is the a white iPhone with a plastic backing, following earlier reports that Apple might try to sell a cheaper handset without the aluminum finish in previous iPhone models.
April 16, 2013
Issues with preproduction could cause mass production delays on the majority of Apple's mobile devices, including the rumored iPhone 5S.
April 15, 2013
The next version of the iPhone could pack in an extra 4 megapixels to its camera at 12 megapixels, instead of the 8 megapixel sensor found on both the iPhone 5 and 4S.
April 9, 2013
iPhone 5S buyers could have at least two or possibly three different screen sizes to choose from.
April 3, 2013
There hasn't been any concrete news that an iOS 7 is even in the works, but that doesn't stop chatter about it being behind schedule and having a brand-new display.
April 2, 2013
The latest rumor via the Wall Street Journal would have Apple returning to its summer product introduction cycle for its flagship smartphone.
April 1, 2013
During discussions about phone theft with an Apple liaison, San Francisco's district attorney says he was told the next two generations have already been designed and that "they preceded Tim Cook." if true, not exactly a shocker.
(Credit: Apple)
March 29, 2013
A report from Japanese Web Site MacFan seems the first to suggest a specific date for the launch of the next iPhone.
March 26, 2013
The next-generation iPhone should start shipping by the end of June, followed by a low-cost iPhone in the September quarter, says analyst Gene Munster.
March 22, 2013
That's the claim from Amit Daryanani of RBC Capital Markets, who says the device will have a 4-inch display and come with plastic casing.
March 21, 2013
As expected, the next-generation iPhone won't be a major upgrade over the iPhone 5 but will offer a beefier processor and camera, according to DigiTimes.
(Credit: Apple)
March 18, 2013
On the heels of a Galaxy S4 release that was solid but not mind-blowing, Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty says Apple is planning a killer software feature for the next iPhone.
March 14, 2013
Apple's next-gen iPhone chip will get "taped out" this month in preparation for pilot production this summer, says an Asia-based report from DigiTimes.
March 8, 2013
DigiTimes is at it again, this time claiming sources promise that the next iPhone will feature Apple-developed wireless-charging technology.
March 5, 2013
Foxconn production of the iPhone 5S is beginning, at least in part, according to a report from Japanese-language Apple blog Macotakara.
March 5, 2013
The next iPhone could arrive by the end of the summer, but the next-generation iPads may debut as soon as next month, claims iMore.
How different could a budget iPhone 5 case look from the current model?
(Credit: Josh Lowensohn/CNET)
March 4, 2013
KGI Securities released another note that spells out features of the upcoming iPhone 5S and a low-cost iPhone 5. For the iPhone 5S, the claims are that it will feature an A7 processor, LED "smart flash" for the camera, and a fingerprint reader. For the budget iPhone 5, KGI claims a case made of fiberglass and plastic.
February 28, 2013
New report says Apple is cooking up a 4.5-inch plastic iPhone that will cost far less than current models but won't ship till next year.
February 19, 2013
Launched in China, a lower-cost iPhone might triple Apple's potential market share in the country, says a Morgan Stanley analyst.
Alleged photo of iPhone 5S from Chinese Web site ZOL.
(Credit: SJBBS.ZOL.COM.CN)
February 11, 2013
Another round of photos reportedly of the next-generation iPhone have popped up online, this time at a Chinese Web site.
February 7, 2013
A poster on Chinese microblogging site says that a friend has seen the much-rumored models and that they could be released this year, taking the Sasquatch report up to 11 with tales of a 5-inch iPhone 6.
January 29, 2013
The much-rumored budget iPhone will borrow many elements from the current model but use a plastic design, says iLounge. The site claims the budget phone will be something like a fusion of the iPhone 5 and fifth-gen iPod Touch.
January 27, 2013
A French blog posts images of what it says are speaker components for the next round of Apple smartphones, what it calls an iPhone 5S and iPhone 6. Blurry, close-up shots of speaker components don't tell much of a story, though.
January 25, 2013
According to another iLounge report, the iPhone 5S will feature a 13-megapixel rear camera from Sony.
(Credit: Apple Digger RU)
January 22, 2013
Continuing along the rumor that Apple is preparing an even larger-screened iPhone for 2014 (see below), Russian Apple news site Apple Digger created renderings of what such a device would look like. This is speculation on top of rumor.
January 22, 2013
If you're holding out for a 5-inch iPhone, you might have to wait until 2014, a new report from DigiTimes (which must be taken with a whole shaker of salt) claims.
January 22, 2013
A Google translation from the Chinese language Commercial Times points to a larger-screened iPhone in time for the Worldewide Developers Conference. While it's a sketchy rumor, it seems reasonable that Apple will get serious about taking on smartphones like Samsung's 4.8-inch Galaxy S3.
Nak Design's concept art for the iPhone 6.
(Credit: Antoine Brieux of NAK Studio)
January 16, 2013
As an iPhone rumor palate-cleanser, Eric Mack discusses the reasons why the next iPhone isn't likely to impress.
January 16, 2013
We may see both the iPhone 5S and a lower-cost iPhone 5 variant in June or July, says KGI Securities' Ming-Chi Kuo.
January 15, 2013
The latest tidbit among the low-cost iPhone rumors suggests the phone would use an all-plastic body or a combination of plastic and metal, once again according to DigiTimes.
January 11, 2013
Reuters had cryptically withdrawn a story pegged to remarks purportedly made by Apple's Phil Schiller in China. Now the story's back with a nip and a tuck or two.
January 10, 2013
In an interview with a Chinese newspaper, Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing, purportedly says there's no truth in reports that Apple will make a cheaper iPhone.
January 10, 2013
A low-cost iPhone would give Apple access to 65 percent of the smartphone market where its current lineup of high-end phones don't play, says Apple bull Gene Munster.
January 9, 2013
Piling onto the latest rumors of a cheaper iPhone on the horizon, a source tells Bloomberg the device could sell for between $99 and $149.
The fifth-gen iPod Touch.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)
January 8, 2013
Following DigiTimes, of all places, the Wall Street Journal reports that Apple is working on a less-expensive iPhone and could launch it later this year -- which is pretty much what the WSJ also reported...two years ago.
January 8, 2013
Apple plans to launch a new iPhone version designed exclusively for China and emerging markets that could be available in the second half of 2013, according to DigiTimes' sources.
January 4, 2013
In its ongoing battle against Samsung, Apple may be forced to unveil a smaller, cheaper version of its flagship phone, says Strategy Analytics.
January 3, 2013
The iPhone 5 is just a few months old but its "in-cell" touch technology may already be old news, according to a new report.
December 27, 2012
A rumor out of China suggests that Apple is teaming up with Intel to fashion a bona-fide iOS-based watch. Business Insider reported the rumor via Chinese tech blog Tech163.com. Perhaps this is part of the next-gen iPhone strategy?
December 5, 2012
CBS' Dan Farber speculates that a larger-screened iPhone would make perfect sense after the iPad Mini. The debut of another model could justify another launch date, much like the iPad Mini did for the iPad.
A rumored picture of the iPhone 5S.
(Credit: Screenshot taken by Roger Cheng/CNET)
December 5, 2012
Pictures of the next-generation iPhone have already surfaced via an online forum (iPhone5parts.net, as reported by French Web site Nowhereelse.fr), but show few differences on the exterior of the device other than a different screw placement.
Credits: CNET.com
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