Affiliate Disclosure
If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Read our ethics policy.

Apple's new iPhone expected to be 18% thinner than iPhone 4S

Last updated

A significant redesign of Apple's iPhone due this September is not only expected to yield a display with with roughly 30 percent more real estate but an overall design that's nearly one fifth thinner than the current iPhone 4S.

Taiwanese Apple rumor site Apple.pro has published scans of an a article that originally ran in the paper edition of the Chinese-language Apple Daily, in which the publication took measurements of one of the many leaked enclosures believed to represent genuine pre-production parts for the so-called iPhone 5.

Measuring 58.47mm wide, 123.83mm long and 7.6mm thick, the enclosure is approximately 18% thinner than the 9.3mm thick iPhone 4S. It's believed that Apple has been able to achieve the reduction via a series of modifications, including:

  • an elongation of the design by 8.63mm (~7.5%) to accommodate a 4-inch screen;
  • relocation of the headphone jack to the base of the unit;
  • inclusion of a new nano-SIM tray comprising 40% less space than the current Micro-SIM tray in the iPhone 4S;
  • a more compact MagSafe-style Dock connector with 8 or 9 pins as opposed to the 30-pin Dock connector shipping on current devices; and
  • a general reduction in the size of several internal components due to broader industry advancements.

    The changes are expected to deliver the thinnest iPhone yet, though Apple will still fall short of reclaiming the title of the world's thinnest smartphone it achieved with the inaugural iPhone back in 2007. Though the uniformity of several rival smartphones has made pin-pointing the thinnest smartphone a topic of debate, Chinese manufacturer Oppo is currently believed to hold the title with its 6.65mm thick Oppo Finder.


    A so-called iPhone 5 shell sitting atop an iPhone 4S | Source: SharpDaily

    It should be noted that the dimensions for the new iPhone reported by Apple Daily's aren't entirely new, and instead serve as further support of measurements that originally surfaced in June from a set of apparently leaked Apple schematics.


    Leaked schematics believed to represent Apple's next iPhone

    Apple is expected to introduce its new iPhone on September 12th during a media event in California.



  • 110 Comments

    cameronj 18 Years · 2355 comments

    Ugh, I hope not!  Keep the thickness, and give me 50% more battery life!

    pedromartins 14 Years · 1326 comments

    the new iphone looks so badassly radical... i did not think that apple had the balls to do it.. it's like going from an merc class E to a lambo.. oh forget it. it's like going from a class E to a S65AMG... will they put that awesome power efficient and fast 32nm a5 or delay it and go the crazy route of a6 (based on A15) with the new badass graphic chip?

    solipsismx 14 Years · 19562 comments

    I'm loving this design, though much prefer the dark metal band on the rumoured models. [quote name="cameronj" url="/t/151811/apples-new-iphone-expected-to-be-18-thinner-than-iphone-4s#post_2164406"]Ugh, I hope not!  Keep the thickness, and give me 50% more battery life! [/quote] I can't argue with the thickness or battery life as the first isn't too thick and the battery could always be better but I would be weight would be the biggest issue with going with a 50% larger battery. I'd argue that it would then be too heavy to be comfortable. (Note: I know you said battery life, not battery size, but without better tech it's currently one and the same.) From the reduction of so many other components and the change in the front and back paneling it's possible they could have increased the battery capacity a bit. i doubt it's by much if they did, but it still could be possible to get better battery life from even the same size or smaller battery with the new tech. The LTE chip should be (hopefully) using the 28nm lithography and at least be more power efficient than the iPhone 3G on 3G when it arrived in 2008. PS: I'm most concerned with how Apple will do LTE operating bands for the rest of the world. It's one thing to focus on the US for the iPad but a smartphone is different. While LTE uses the same baseband they do need different HW for different markets (read: countries) for the operating bands. Maybe Qualcomm was able to make them a baseband that allowed for a half-dozen or more operating bands but I doubt it. I'm thinking we'll see LTE iPhones that are now regionalized because of the LTE bands.

    raptoroo7 13 Years · 140 comments

    I hope they do get better battery life out of it, at least some kind of a bitter battery in there with LTE it will be an issue.

    solipsismx 14 Years · 19562 comments

    [quote name="RaptorOO7" url="/t/151811/apples-new-iphone-expected-to-be-18-thinner-than-iphone-4s#post_2164413"]I hope they do get better battery life out of it, at least some kind of a bitter battery in there with LTE it will be an issue. [/quote] That seems guaranteed with these 3rd gen LTE chips. I'll be shocked it they are still using gen 2 tech in this next iPhone.