Highly suspect photos claim to show 'iPhone 6' chassis [u x2]

By AppleInsider Staff

A trio of "blurry cam" photos purportedly showing Apple's next-generation "iPhone 6" chassis have made their way to the Web, with the part sporting rounded corners and a thin design matching the current-generation iPad lineup.

Update: Further analysis of the images indicates they are three-dimensional renders, rather than photographs of leaked parts. Some textures used -- including the fingerprint smudges on the display -- match those applied by well-known concept artist Martin Hajek, while other textures are repeated in multiple places on the images. Hajek indicated on Twitter that the textures were his, but that he is not the model's creator.

Sonny Dickson has posted a few higher resolution photos to his website, one of which is embedded below. The overall look of the machined part is more than reminiscent of the iPad mini, with rounded edges and softer corners. Gone are the radio-transparent windows on the rear of the housing and there appears to be no sign of gap antennas. It is possible that Apple is planning to incorporate a new technology to enhance signal strength, though at this point such claims are merely speculation.

As stated below, the chassis itself looks to be slightly wider than the current iPhone 5s, hinting at a larger and possibly bezel-less display.


Purported 'iPhone 6' chassis. | Source: Sonny Dickson

In a series of tweets, Sonny Dickson posted three "teaser" images of what he suggests is Apple's "iPhone 6."

Due to the poor image quality and highly speculative nature of the photos, AppleInsider cannot confirm the veracity of Dickson's claims and presents the following for purposes of discussion only.

Not much can be seen in the incredibly blurry and highly cropped photo set, but from what little is shown, it appears the part boasts a large hole presumably for a rear-facing camera. Next to the camera port is a pill-shaped cutout that could potentially house a flash akin to the iPhone 5s' dual-LED True Tone module. A slit in between the camera and flash holes could be used for a rear-facing microphone.

Moving on to the inside of the supposed iPhone housing, a number of anchor points can be seen for what will presumably be a logic board and supporting circuitry. CNC machining marks stand out, hinting that the chassis material is a metal alloy. To one side of the housing is a SIM card slot, which is actually quite large in comparison to the rest of the structure.

The edges and corners of the housing look to be inline with Apple's iPad mini with Retina display, possibly suggesting the company will carry over that design language to its smartphone lineup as well. Compositing a rough overlay of the current iPhone 5s, the rumored iPhone 6 part is about 4 millimeters wider, with the added real estate coming from the side opposite the camera. Finally, a spacer and requisite electromagnetic shielding can be seen on the top and bottom of the part.

The blurry cam quality, odd dimensions and suspect image cropping place this photo set squarely in the "rumor" category, though it does make for some interesting guess work as to what Apple might be planning.