Highly suspect photos claim to show 'iPhone 6' chassis [u x2]

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in iPhone edited March 2014
A trio of "blurry cam" photos purportedly showing Apple's next-generation "iPhone 6" chassis have made their way to the Web, with the part sporting rounded corners and a thin design matching the current-generation iPad lineup.

Update: Further analysis of the images indicates they are three-dimensional renders, rather than photographs of leaked parts. Some textures used -- including the fingerprint smudges on the display -- match those applied by well-known concept artist Martin Hajek, while other textures are repeated in multiple places on the images. Hajek indicated on Twitter that the textures were his, but that he is not the model's creator.

Sonny Dickson has posted a few higher resolution photos to his website, one of which is embedded below. The overall look of the machined part is more than reminiscent of the iPad mini, with rounded edges and softer corners. Gone are the radio-transparent windows on the rear of the housing and there appears to be no sign of gap antennas. It is possible that Apple is planning to incorporate a new technology to enhance signal strength, though at this point such claims are merely speculation.

As stated below, the chassis itself looks to be slightly wider than the current iPhone 5s, hinting at a larger and possibly bezel-less display.

Part
Purported 'iPhone 6' chassis. | Source: Sonny Dickson


In a series of tweets, Sonny Dickson posted three "teaser" images of what he suggests is Apple's "iPhone 6."

Due to the poor image quality and highly speculative nature of the photos, AppleInsider cannot confirm the veracity of Dickson's claims and presents the following for purposes of discussion only.

Part


Not much can be seen in the incredibly blurry and highly cropped photo set, but from what little is shown, it appears the part boasts a large hole presumably for a rear-facing camera. Next to the camera port is a pill-shaped cutout that could potentially house a flash akin to the iPhone 5s' dual-LED True Tone module. A slit in between the camera and flash holes could be used for a rear-facing microphone.

Part


Moving on to the inside of the supposed iPhone housing, a number of anchor points can be seen for what will presumably be a logic board and supporting circuitry. CNC machining marks stand out, hinting that the chassis material is a metal alloy. To one side of the housing is a SIM card slot, which is actually quite large in comparison to the rest of the structure.

Part


The edges and corners of the housing look to be inline with Apple's iPad mini with Retina display, possibly suggesting the company will carry over that design language to its smartphone lineup as well. Compositing a rough overlay of the current iPhone 5s, the rumored iPhone 6 part is about 4 millimeters wider, with the added real estate coming from the side opposite the camera. Finally, a spacer and requisite electromagnetic shielding can be seen on the top and bottom of the part.

The blurry cam quality, odd dimensions and suspect image cropping place this photo set squarely in the "rumor" category, though it does make for some interesting guess work as to what Apple might be planning.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 136
    So... is it larger than the current iPhone?

    That's what I wanna know.
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  • Reply 2 of 136
    Nice :)

    Can some one figure out the size?
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  • Reply 3 of 136
    Wait, where are RF transparent windows?
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  • Reply 4 of 136

    If it is highly suspect and completely unsubstantiated, how in the world does it give any insight at all into what Apple is planning? 

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  • Reply 5 of 136
    hentaiboyhentaiboy Posts: 1,252member

    iPhablet!

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  • Reply 6 of 136
    maltzmaltz Posts: 516member
    Uncropped versions of what appears to be the same item over at MacRumors:

    http://www.macrumors.com/2014/02/12/alleged-iphone-6-prototype/
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  • Reply 7 of 136

    Head over to 9to5mac and they have the photo relayed with an iPhone 5

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  • Reply 8 of 136
    rogifanrogifan Posts: 10,669member
    And the antennas are where exactly? I kind of doubt Apple invented a way for radio signals to penetrate aluminum.
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  • Reply 9 of 136
    Bigfoot is real. These photos prove it.
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  • Reply 10 of 136
    At first I thought someone might be trolling using pictures of an iPod Touch. But the camera appears more in line with an iphone 5s, and Touches feature a plastic window for the Wi-Fi, missing in this photo.

    I doubt any factory would be producing them so soon though. Unless they're prototyping some assembly processes or something. But you'd think they could produce a few units without someone whipping out their camera phone.
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  • Reply 11 of 136
    atokosch wrote: »
    Head over to 9to5mac and they have the photo relayed with an iPhone 5
    Well they have bought up the supply of LiquidMetal, which is amorphous and can therefore be configured for electromagnetic transparency.

    Though they sure as heck don't have the means to produce 50 million units each quarter.
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  • Reply 12 of 136
    clemynxclemynx Posts: 1,552member
    Sonny Dickson has a pretty reliable history and I would be tempted to believe it, even if it could just be good CGI. But if it's true, how can the FCC logo already be there? Coming out soon? I actually wouldn't be surprised.
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  • Reply 13 of 136
    clemynxclemynx Posts: 1,552member
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  • Reply 15 of 136
    rogifanrogifan Posts: 10,669member

    So is the back going to be flush or will the camera stick out like on the iPod touch?

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  • Reply 16 of 136
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by acslater017 View Post





    Well they have bought up the supply of LiquidMetal, which is amorphous and can therefore be configured for electromagnetic transparency.



    Though they sure as heck don't have the means to produce 50 million units each quarter.

    Based on patent filings they can mass produce it the same way plastic housings are made from a template and injections. The company that they are licensing the technology on how to make the metal also has some but for small objects such as the iPhone 3G/3GS sim eject tool that Apple made from Liquid Metal. 

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  • Reply 17 of 136
    herbapouherbapou Posts: 2,228member

    Its too early for those kind of leaks, this may point to a launch sooner than fall.

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  • Reply 18 of 136
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Rogifan View Post



    And the antennas are where exactly? I kind of doubt Apple invented a way for radio signals to penetrate aluminum.

    Liquidmetal alloys demonstrate a different molecular structure than traditional metals which makes it stronger and allows for the radio penetration and can also act as the antenna. Apple did not invent this, a company called Liquidmetal Technologies did. This has been around for a few years and Apple signed an agreement with them back in 2008 to make the sim eject tool for the iPhone 3G and on. The technology at the time was not ready for main stream because they could not produce large objects correctly with the metal. Apple has now been granted in the past 4 years patents on how to manufacture liquidmetal housings in similar ways that plastic housing are made 

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  • Reply 19 of 136

    A bigger phone, I wonder what made them think of that?  Innovation running wild.

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  • Reply 20 of 136
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by herbapou View Post

     

    This is too early for those kind of leaks, this may point to a launch sooner than fall.


    Well only time will tell. If they have an announcement in early spring such as March or April for iOS like they have done in the past then they will announce the iPhone at WWDC, if they do not and they announce iOS 8 at WWDC they will be releasing the iPhone in the September time frame. I highly doubt they will release this sooner than the fall. With the way the technology is moving and if they are going to put an A8 processor in the phone they will need until the fall to do so. 

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