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iPhone 5

These iPhone 5 leaks suggest some big changes ahead

Taller, thinner displays and better battery power.

HOW IS IT THAT we already know so much about Apple’s next iPhone even though it hasn’t been announced?

Besides the controlled news leaks coming straight from Apple PR, there seem to be a lot of holes in Apple’s supply chain overseas.

Over the last few months we’ve seen dozens of leaks that all seem to confirm the same thing about Apple’s new iPhone: larger screen, thinner body, and a brand new design.

We rounded up the most important iPhone hardware leaks for you right here and explain what each one means:

1. The display will be taller

Just about every leak of the next iPhone’s display we’ve seen shows that it’ll have a larger screen. It appears the display will be the same width as the current iPhone, but tall enough to fit an extra row of app icons.

2. Thinner display

Apple is said to be using a special display technology with built-in touch sensors that’ll make the glass thinner than current iPhone models. That means the overall device will be thinner, but it could also make it more expensive to repair if the screen cracks.

3. New body with two-tone back

Most leaks of the iPhone’s casing show the device will have a metal band that wraps around the rear. This gives the phone a unique two-tone design. It also makes the iPhone design better match the look of the iPad.

4. A new kind of SIM card

In order to keep the iPhone as thin as possible, it looks like Apple will use a new kind of “nano” SIM card that’s a lot smaller than the current micro SIM. The next iPhone will still store the new SIM card in a pop-out tray.

5. Smaller buttons to fit the thinner body

A thinner iPhone body means the device’s physical buttons will have to slim down too. Part leaks show the iPhone’s power button, mute switch, and volume buttons will shrink a bit to fit. However, the home button will be pretty much the same size as before.

6. A brand new logic board

The new iPhone’s logic board leaked a few days ago and reconfirms a lot of the rumors we’ve heard before. It’s a bit taller than the iPhone 4S logic board, which also points to a larger iPhone display and new design.

7. The battery will have more power

A leaked image of the next iPhone’s battery shows it’ll have a slightly larger capacity than the iPhone 4S’s battery. That’s good because the next iPhone will need more power for its larger display and connection to energy-hungry 4G data networks.

8. Smaller dock connector

It looks like Apple is doing away with the standard dock connector it has been using for the last 11 years or so. Starting with the new iPhone, all iDevices will likely make the move to a smaller dock connector. It may be annoying to buy a bunch of adapters for all your accessories, but the good news is that future iPhones, iPads, and iPods will be lighter and thinner.

9. Accessories

Although we’re still more than a month away from the next iPhone launch, third-party case manufacturers haven’t wasted time making accessories for the new device. The cases are based on leaked specs for the iPhone. However, as we learned last year, leaks don’t always come true. A lot of case manufacturers made stuff for a redesigned iPhone last year, only to be surprised by the iPhone 4S, which has the same design as the iPhone 4.

Published with permission from
Business Insider
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