A number of foreign websites leaked new photos that purportedly show the external casing of the next iteration of Apple’s iPhone. The photos provide solid evidence to back up several rumors that have been circulating for months about the highly anticipated device, dubbed the iPhone 6 by eager fans and industry pundits.
The iPhone 6 images reveal that the new phone will be slimmer, featuring curved edges and rounded corners, a return to one aspect of the original iPhone design and similar to several generations of iPods. Apple is expected to offer two different screen sizes for its next handset: a 4.7-inch model and a larger, 5.5-inch “phablet” variation. The casing in the leaked photos appears to be that of the smaller size.
On this model, the power button has been moved to the right side above a SIM card slot, according to analysis by AppleInsider. The volume buttons on the left side of the phone have been elongated, and the mute toggle remains above the volume controls.
On the back of the chassis, the Apple logo is punched out of the metal. This could be to allow better transmission for an internal antenna, as in the iPad mini, according to GSMArena.com. BGM provides more interesting speculation that the cutout is to accommodate wireless charging or near field communication (NFC). NFC capabilities, combined with the existing Touch ID fingerprint authentication, might enable users to make payments by simply tapping their iPhones against a device at a cash register.
Another noteworthy feature visible on the leaked iPhone 6 images is the round cutout for the flash. The iPhone 5s has an oval opening to allow the two independent LEDs required for the highly touted True Tone flash, which is designed to produce richer, more accurate photos. Either Apple is scrapping the True Tone idea for its next iPhone, or engineers have figured out a way to get the functionality of two differently colored LEDs into one.
The iPhone 6 is widely expected to be released in September, a year after the iPhone 5s, though Macworld predicts an August release date for at least one model.
What do you think of Apple’s decision to offer a larger, phablet-type iPhone?
Image courtesy of Flickr
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