Some new leaked parts have surfaced today, seeming to be components for a next-gen iPhone. The leaked parts include the top and bottom internal frames, as well as a unique antenna assembly and an apparent lack of a physical home button.
The part images come to us from MacRumors and iPatchiPods, and suggest that the new device will look very much like the iPhone 4, but will include some significant difference in both the frame and the antenna design.
The above images of the inner framework of the device show two antenna breaks at the bottom of the casing that are significantly different than those found on either the Verizon or AT&T model of the iPhone 4. The reason for the difference in antenna placement is likely to allow for the multiple frequencies that would be required to support both GSM and CDMA networks at the same time.
The device seems to have a slot for a SIM card, suggesting that it will at least support the GSM standard used by AT&T, but it is likely that the device will also support CDMA networks, both due to the fact that the chipset is already available and in use by the Verizon iPhone, and that the new antenna design seems to accomodate such. In reality, it wouldn’t make much sense for Apple not to support both technologies.
The mute switch and volume switch are on the same side of the casing as the iPhone 4, which goes against iPhone 5 rumors suggesting they might be placed on the opposite side. Perhaps the most curious detail of all, however, is that this new framework does not seem to include an area for the home button. The below image compares the new leaked part to the corresponding part from the iPhone 4 to demonstrate the difference.
It’s unclear which device these parts might be intended for. It’s possible that these are iPhone “4S” parts, and equally possible that they could be destined for the iPhone 5. Personally, however, I feel that they are prototype parts that won’t necessarily reflect any shipping product.
It seems unlikely to me that these are parts for the iPhone 4S largely due to the fact that the 4S is expected to be a much cheaper device than the iPhone 4, but these parts are of no lesser quality than existing iPhone 5 parts. The parts may be destined for the iPhone 5, but the iPhone 5 rumors so far have either suggested a design nearly identical to the iPhone 4, which would make the seeming lack of a home button in this model seem out of place.
In the end, I am convinced that theses are non-production parts intended for a prototype device, but as with all such rumors and speculation, nothing can be known for sure until it happens, especially when dealing with Apple.
