iPhone 5S release date, specs, features & price rumours

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Posted on 14 May 2013 at 12:38, by David Ludlow

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Our iPhone 5S release date, specs and rumours article is updated regularly, check back for the latest updates. Updated on the 14th May 2013 with more iOS 7 information.

Apple's release schedule for phones generally means keeping roughly the same design for two iterations, such as the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S. If Apple sticks to that, it means that we're likely to see the iPhone 5S as an update to the existing iPhone 5. Completely new hardware and a different design are most likely going to have to wait until the iPhone 6, which is rumoured to launch in 2014.

iPHONE 5S RELEASE DATE

There's no other way of putting this: rumours of the iPhone 5S release date are a complete and utter mess. If you believed every single snippet of information, then the new iPhone could be released in practically every month until September 2013. Law of averages would seem to suggest that one of these dates is correct, although Apple could just release in October just to prove everyone wrong.

Anyway, here's what we've got. Most recently, an internal memo from Japanese network KDDI was leaked. This stated that the company would start taking pre-orders on Jun 20th, before the iPhone 5S is released in early July. Alongside the launch date, the leaked memo contains some alleged specs, including that there will be a 13-megapixel main camera.

A June release date was mentioned in the first round of rumours, and sounded plausible, until rumours of delays and even information from Apple, seemed to suggest that the iPhone 5S would be out later. That has all started rumours that the iPhone 5S will launch in September followed by a cheaper, plastic iPhone a month later.

This follows information hinted at by Tim Cook in Apple's earnings call. In the call, Cook suggested that Apple won't launch new products until Autumn.

"Our teams are hard at work on some amazing new hardware, software, and services that we can’t wait to introduce this fall and throughout 2014," said Cook.

While Cook may have said that there's nothing new until September, it doesn't mean that it's necessarily Apple's choice, with rumours of delays. Ming-chi Kuo of KGI securities thinks that the iPhone 5S will be delayed, because of new technology.

Specifically, he thinks that getting the rumoured fingerprint reader working properly will set the company back, while iOS 7 is also taking the company a lot longer than expected. The net result is that the new phone is likely to be seen it later in the year.

Kuo isn't the only one predicting a delay. After visiting Apple's manufacturing partners in Asia, Peter Misek, an analyst at Jefferies, has also said that he expects iPhone 5S delays.

Misek obtained an advisory note, which states that there are pre-production issues delaying mass production of the new smartphone. While the exact problems aren't detailed, it appears as though the problems surround perfecting the mass production process for the new hardware.

While the iPhone 5S being delayed is bad enough, Misek also states that production delays now will have a knock-on effect with other Apple products. So, that could mean delays for the iPad Mini 2, iPad 5 and iPhone 6. This means that there's no chance that we'll see the iPhone 6 before 2014.

We're not sure that Apple can afford a delay in its next product and it's likely to do everything it can to meet earlier deadlines. A recent report on The Wall Street Journal states that Foxconn is dramatically increasing staff in order to start work on the iPhone 5S.

According to Foxconn, it has been adding 10,000 assembly-line workers per week since the last week of March in order to ramp up production on the latest iPhone. That's a significant investment in people and one that the company wouldn't make if there was going to be significant delays from Apple.

All-in-all that's as clear as mud, then. The only thing that seems to be certain is that the iPhone 5S will be an update to the iPhone 5 and the iPhone 6 will be a completely new model, most likely released next year.

IOS 7

The one part of iPhone that's rarely changed, is iOS. This has been tweaked and updated over the years, but the once revolutionary OS is starting to look a bit tired. Fortunately, there's a completely revamped iOS 7 in the works.

Apple is working hard on the successor to its mobile operating system and iOS 7 will be a big departure from the current OS. It will have a completely redesigned UI, overhauling the system that has been in place since the first iPhone launched. It should bring in new features that compete against Android, rather than the rather static interface currently used.

The biggest change, however, is that Apple is dropping the skeuomorphic design, which is where one object is designed to look like another. For example, the Notes app is designed to look like a real-life notebook. Digitally, skeumorphism doesn't always make a lot of sense and can look cluttered. Switching to a flatter interface will make iOS 7 look modern and clean.

We can expect to see iOS 7 at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June, if recent website stats that show an increase in iOS 7 devices are correct. In particular, the stats show that iOS 7 devices are most prevalent around the Cupertino area, near Apple's headquarters.

Typically, Apple gives its employees the new OS first, before releasing to developers and then, a few months later, consumers. With more iOS 7 devices in the wild now, it would suggest that Apple's about ready to show off its next-generation mobile operating system, with WWDC a great opportunity. This should mean that iOS 7 is ready for an Autumn iPhone 5S launch.

iPHONE 5S CAMERA

The compact camera market has been suffering due to the quality of smartphone cameras. It's clear that the camera is something that people really care about, wanting to take high-quality photos without having to carry two devices.

While the iPhone has been known for the quality of its integrated cameras, in recent months the competition has overtaken Apple. Competitor's phones, such as the Nokia Lumia 920, HTC One and Sony Xperia Z, have all been sold on the quality of their cameras.

It shouldn't be a big surprise, then, that the iPhone 5S is now being touted as having a higher-resolution camera. Viatnamese site Tinhte, which has managed to get Apple hardware early, has said that the iPhone 5S will have a 12-megapixel sensor.

While the jump to a 12-megapixel sensor would improve the resolution of photos, giving your larger photos, there is always the worry that it will increase noise. One of the problems with fitting high-resolution, but physically small, sensors is that there's less light per pixel. This can have a knock-on effect, particularly when shooting in low light.

Still, it's clear that Apple needs to improve the quality of its camera if it's to compete and more resolution makes sense as a starting point.

iPHONE 5S FEATURES

It's claimed that the iPhone 5S will have a higher-resolution display than the iPhone 5, potentially based on the new IGZO (Indium Gallium Zinc Oxide) material. If true, it would provide the 5S with a brighter and more detailed screen than the iPhone 5, while also potentially dropping the thickness of the handset - albeit, only slightly.

This seems more likely following CES 2013, when the Sharp IGZO display technology was displayed for the first time inside a 32in 4K monitor.

That release certainly got the rumour mill going and it's been suggested that Apple has already approached Sharp about its technology, but not just for the iPhone 5S, but also for the upcoming iPad 5.

Recent rumours have stated that the iPhone 5S may launch with two or three different screen sizes. With the increase in popularity of large-screen smartphones, such as the 4.99in Samsung Galaxy S4, Apple is said to be interested in offering a range of different options to customers.

While Apple has usually steadfastly stuck to its plan, it's notable that the iPad Mini was released, even though the company originally stated that there was no need for a smaller tablet.

IPHONE 5S 128GB CAPACITY

The rumours of a 128GB version would seem to be true, as we know that Apple now has that capacity, thanks to the recent launch of a 128GB iPad 4.

Recently quite quietly, the new model doubled the maximum capacity of the previous high-end iPad (64GB). This update was said to be about increasing the variety of uses for the tablet, with Apple stating that more storage was good for large files for use in applications such as CAD and music production. It's also a more useful amount of storage for photos and videos.

The update to the iPad 4 was a completely new model with a new price, so we'd expect the same range of capacities and prices to be available from the iPad 5: 16GB, 32GB, 64GB and 128GB. With Apple now using 128GB storage in its tablets, the question is whether or not it will provide the same range of capacities in its iPhone and iPad Mini range, too.

Given that the capacity is now available to Apple and that the smartphone market is even more competitive, we'd say that a 128GB version of the new phone is more than likely.

IPHONE 5S NFC

The purported iPhone 5S is also claimed to include near-field communications (NFC) support, a close-range wireless system already adopted by many Android smartphones - but absent from the iPhone 5.

According to recent reports, the inclusion of NFC now seems a virtual certainty. What's new and, potentially, more interesting, is that Apple now seems likely to include an fingerprint reader, too.

According to recent reports, the iPhone 5S will get a fingerprint scanner and NFC. It's thought that the fingerprint scanner will be used to authenticate NFC payments, making the smartphone a secure way of paying for things.

Reports in Taiwan have said that the fingerprint reader will be made by Chipbond, which has secured a huge contract to supply for the iPhone 5S. Apple will source the NFC chip elsewhere. Interestingly, Apple recently bought Authentec, which built a new fingerprint/NFC security system, fuelling speculation about the capabilities of the new phone. It seems likely that Apple will integrate a digital wallet into its Passbook app. Currently, Passbook only supports store cards, discount vouchers and tickets, but extending its functionality shouldn't be too difficult to achieve.

This will let Apple compete with Google Wallet, which launched recently in the UK and is available for any Android phone with NFC, such as the Samsung Galaxy S4.

A recent job advert seems to confirm that the iPhone 5S will have a fingerprint reader. The job was for an engineer to work on-site at AuthenTec, fuelling rumours that this is required to integrated the fingerprint technology into a smartphone.

IPHONE 5S WORLDWIDE 4G

One of the problems with the existing iPhone 5S is that different models are sold in each country, each with its own specific 4G support. Currently, there's no global model that supports world-wide 4G. We're expecting Apple to solve this in the iPhone 5S and not just for convenience, but because making one model will work out cheaper for the company in the long-run.

Adding credence to this rumour is the fact that Qualcomm has created a new 4G chip, which will give the Phone 5S global LTE support.

Called the RF360 Front-End Solution, the chip provides compatibility with eight mobile network standards: LTE-TDD, LTE-FDD, EVDO, WMCDA, CDMA, TD-SCDMA, EDGE and GSM. This covers the full range of 2G, 3G and 4G networks, which means that a phone equipped with this chip should work with all mobile networks world-wide.

IPHONE 5S DESIGN

Apple has traditionally alternated between brand-new designs and tweaked designs for its annual iPhone releases: the original iPhone was replaced with the brand-new iPhone 3G, which was tweaked a year later into the iPhone 3GS. The launch of the brand-new iPhone 4 was followed by the tweaked iPhone 4S design, while the latest iPhone 5 model represents a complete redesign once again.

It seems likely, then, that the iPhone 5S will look like the iPhone 5. Apple's quarterly filing with the SEC, would seem to back this up. This financial document shows how much money the company has spent on things, and shows that two months ago Apple spend $4.5bn on equipment purchases, compared to just $903m the last quarter.

According to Morgan Stanley analyst, Katy Huberty, and reported on Business Insider, this shows that the iPhone 5S is likely to look like the current handset.

The argument here is that the larger spend from two quarters ago was when Apple was investing heavily in new screens for the iPhone 5. The decrease, therefore, is because Apple doesn't need new hardware for iPhone 5S.

An interesting tit-bit of information has come out, saying that the next two iPhones (the iPhone 5S and iPhone 6) are the last two iPhones to be approved by Steve Jobs.

Let slip by Michael Foulkes, Apple's liaison to the US government, the designs of the next two phone "preceded Tim Cook". In other words, the designs were approved under Steve Jobs' watch. That's got to be good news for Apple fans worried whether Tim Cook can continue the company's amazing success and run of quality products. It also means that Cook now has a couple of generations of phone to work out how to make his own mark on the product and continue the phenomenal success of the iPhone.

While previous iPhones have been available in black or white, the iPhone 5S will apparently add a third, as yet undisclosed, colour. Reported on Apple Insider, Japanese Blog Mac Otakara reported information from a "trusted source" stating that the there will be one colour option added to the iPhone 5S.

This is less than the eight colours originally reported, so the iPhone 5S won't have the same choice as the iPod range. However, a third colour chosen wisely could give Apple a boost and make the iPhone 5S appeal to people that want something a bit bolder than black or white.

BUDGET IPHONE 5

Rumours also suggested that it would be a budget iPhone 5S launched alongside a fully-featured iPhone 6. According to reports, the budget model would let Apple compete against low-end Android devices, by using cheaper components and a plastic case to lower the price.

Apple has been quick to dismiss a budget iPhone 5S. Speaking to a Chinese newspaper, Apple's vice president of global marketing Phil Schiller denied that the company would make a cheaper product.

"Some manufacturers use cheap smartphones as a replacement for feature phones, but this is not Apple's product development direction," Schiller said.

Asked directly about possible plans to launch multiple devices aimed at subtly different market segments, Schiller was clear: "We are not like other companies, releasing multiple products in one breath then pinning their hopes on one single product to gain the favour of consumers."

That, it would seem, is that for a budget Apple phone, then, except those pesky rumours won't die. Recently, it's been suggest again that there'll be a low-cost iPhone released this Summer. Sources talking to the Wall Street Journal have said that the budget-friendly iPhone will be released later this year, moving to a plastic casing.

It's expected to have a design similar to the iPad Mini (what rumoured Apple product isn't?) and will be around half the price of the existing iPhone 5.

It would be an usual move for Apple, as the company has focussed on high-end products for a long time. However, let's not forget the plastic, low-cost MacBook, which shows that making cheaper products isn't beyond Apple, even if that model has been discontinued.

IPHONE 5S PRICE

If there's one thing you can count on for Apple, it's reliable pricing. Pretty much every time a new product is launched, it costs the same as the outgoing model.

That would mean, unlocked, that the iPhone 5S would cost £529 for the 16GB model, £599 for 32GB model and £699 for the 64GB model. If there is a 128GB model, we'd guess that it will cost £799. Deals will, of course, be available from mobile operators if you buy the phone on contract.