As the iPhone 5S release date nears, new photos of the low-cost iPhone have emerged as that version of Apple’s flagship smartphone is expected to debut alongside the next-gen 5S. While there have been plenty of rumors and speculations abound as to what a budget-friendly iPhone could entail, one thing for sure is that the low-cost iPhone will ditch Apple’s signature anodized aluminum shell in favor of a plastic one, as seen by the recent photo leak and of leaks past.
The new photo, courtesy of Apple Insider via iPhone5skopen, depicts the all-but confirmed plastic shell, only this time it bears the necessary notices and markings from the FCC, as well as other assorted other certifications, adding a little bit more credence as to the handset’s outer case and existence in general.
Though Apple has yet to announce an official launch date for either device, a recent report from KGI Securities analyst Ming Chi-Kuo points to a late September debut. Apple rumors have been citing poor yields and production issues as the reason behind the slightly delayed release, though the execs at Cupertino aren’t saying peep.
Most of the gossip, despite being unverified by the Steve Jobs-founded company, are pointing to the same specs, features, and price. Expectations of the plastic shell point to an array of bold, bright colors including red, yellow, green, blue, and white. The bottom of the bezel may carry a small hole for a microphone, a headphone port, two screw holes for a centered Lightning port, and four holes for the speaker off to the bottom right. Inside the rear shell are more holes for a camera and LED flash. A set of leaked photos back in June indicated that Apple may be gearing up for a dual-LED flash camera as well.
As for software, very little is known except for the likelihood that the low-cost iPhone will operate on Apple’s next-generation iOS 7. The flagship mobile operating system is expected to launch along side both the iPhone 5S and low-cost iPhone sometime this fall.
When it comes to cost, though, we may be looking at a $349 price tag worth 16GB of internal storage, $449 for 32GB of storage, and $559 for 64GB. Those are likely to change once they’re made available for cell carriers to tack on a standard two-year contract, though.
