Sam Oliver
A number of new photos purporting to show manufacturing mockups of Apple's next-generation handset have surfaced from sources in Japan and Korea, detailing a thinner, larger iPhone with a redesigned rear flash and relocated sleep/wake button.
In agreement with previous "leaks," the new images seem to show a more svelte design featuring a 4.7-inch display and a side-mounted sleep/wake button. The photos were published by Japanese publication ascii.jp and Korean blog Seeko and were first noticed by GforGames.
The mockups continue to feature a round rear-mounted flash, a departure from the ovular True Tone setup found on the iPhone 5s. Apple is unlikely to abandon the feature so soon after introduction, meaning the mockups could either represent a new, smaller dual-LED unit or could show an older iPhone design.
In terms of overall size, the mockups fit neatly between an iPhone 5s and HTC's One handset, reflecting the expected 4.7-inch display size of the iPhone 6. The HTC device ships with a 5-inch display.
Additionally, the iPhone 5 and 5s's square, chamfered edges give way to a rounded design reminiscent of the first-generation iPhone.
No matter the final industrial design, Apple's iPhone 6 is widely believed to come with a larger display — likely 4.7 inches, with a 5.5-inch variant possible — as well as a faster A8 processor.
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AppleInsider Staff
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53 Comments
It's been talked about before... the pill-shaped flash Apple used for the 5S was a stop-gap design until the multi-colored single unit was ready. It appears it's now ready.
So after the iPhone 6-7 come out with 5.5 inch screens, they will announce a revolutionary iPhone mini with a 3.5 inch screen...and we will all be amazed!
Am I the only one that cares a lot more about what's going inside the new iPhone than what it looks like on the outside? Where are the rumors about the specs on the new A8, the new camera, the type of display and resolution of the display, possible improvements to the TouchID sensor, information about the potential battery size and battery life. All of these things are what matter when you use an iPhone. People might unbox an iPhone and briefly admire the exterior then most shove it into a plastic case because they are paranoid about scratches effecting resale value.
I realize that info is likely harder to get than these mockups that seem to be made on a daily basis now. But all these mockups now pretty much look all the same so I really do not see anything new here. And if you want to continue to have mockup stories at least get more photos. Other sites have a dozen or so showing every angle and side by side with the HTC front and back closeup and not at a weird angle where it makes it hard to gauge any differences.
Another mockup that, I still believe, can't nail down the antenna breaks. I'm still hoping we see something a little more refined.
I'm still highly skeptical this is going to be the final design. Mostly because of the thick antenna bands. Like the iPhone 5 I think once we see the final product it will look much better than these leaks.