Purportedly leaked 4-inch iPhone schematics bear striking resemblance to iPhone 6

Posted:
in iPhone edited February 2016
According to supposedly leaked schematics published to the Web on Wednesday, Apple's next-generation 4-inch iPhone, dubbed by some as the "iPhone 5se," will sport a design very similar to the current iPhone 6/6s series.


Source: OnLeaks via Twitter


If the images above are to be believed, Apple's newest iPhone model will boast an aesthetic nearly identical to the company's existing top-end iPhones, a design launched in 2014 with the iPhone 6. The supposed leak comes courtesy of Steve Hemmerstoffer, who received the drawings from an unnamed source in Apple's supply chain.

A closer look at the schematics reveal an amalgamation of iPhone 5 and iPhone 6 hallmarks, including separate porthole groupings on the bottom of the handset accommodating the loudspeaker and main microphone. Confusingly, the "oldest" prototype version shows a round True Tone flash module mirroring the compact component introduced with iPhone 6, while the "newest" drawing switches to the generations-old pill-shaped design. The newer prototype also deletes two loudspeaker portholes ostensibly to attain design symmetry on both sides of the central Lightning port.

Not much is known about Apple's reentry into the 4-inch smartphone market, though rumors surrounding the device have been floating for almost a year. In the intervening months, reports have slowly found consensus on internal specifications, with the most recent claiming the new 4-inch model will run a variant of Apple's latest A9 SoC. In addition, reliable sources revealed late last year that Apple is incorporating Touch ID and Apple Pay into the phone.

The latest scuttlebutt suggest Apple will announce the new 4-inch iPhone alongside a third-generation iPad Air at a special event on March 15, with both devices rumored to go on sale three days later.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 28
    mjtomlinmjtomlin Posts: 2,673member
    iPhone 6s mini ... why would it be anything other than that!? Apple's not going to release a NEW device with lower margins, they're making a new flagship device for higher margins. This is Apple, not Samsung.
    cornchipSpamSandwichmcarlingmr oargonaut
  • Reply 2 of 28
    glad to see it is the 6 formfactor:)
    edited February 2016 cornchipargonaut
  • Reply 3 of 28
    calicali Posts: 3,494member
    mjtomlin said:
    iPhone 6s mini ... why would it be anything other than that!? Apple's not going to release a NEW device with lower margins, they're making a new flagship device for higher margins. This is Apple, not Samsung.
    Because it's not "mini". iPhone 5s and before were never called "mini" either.
    netmage
  • Reply 4 of 28
    The company that doesn't design anymore.
  • Reply 5 of 28
    And MacRumors says it's going to look like the 5S.
    cornchip
  • Reply 6 of 28
    It'll be the 6S mini. It's not a mini version of the 5S it's a mini version of the iPhone 6S though. And if so I'll buy it ... or more likely the 7 mini. I bought the 6 on a great Black Friday deal two years ago, and I'm uncertain whether or not I'll get this phone or the one that follows after it. (Though I would be worried that sales might POSSIBLY not be good enough to justify another version. (Same way the 5S didn't become the 5CS or 5SC the next generation.) I genuinely want to go back to a smaller phone. I enjoy the speed of my 6 and the camera is great. But I miss typing with one hand.
    mcarlingargonaut
  • Reply 7 of 28
    pmzpmz Posts: 3,433member
    Why are other sites running a similar story about a schematic and saying it looks like the 5s?
    cornchipbdkennedy1002
  • Reply 8 of 28
    pmzpmz Posts: 3,433member
    mjtomlin said:
    iPhone 6s mini ... why would it be anything other than that!? Apple's not going to release a NEW device with lower margins, they're making a new flagship device for higher margins. This is Apple, not Samsung.
    You are aware that 4" / $450 to $550 iPhone tier already exists, and has since 2013, and sells exceedingly well for Apple?
    You are also aware that this tier did NOT receive what would otherwise have been an expected update last September?

    This device is an update to that tier. Nothing more. Nothing less.
  • Reply 9 of 28
    eriamjheriamjh Posts: 1,642member
    Sigh.

    That's not a schematic.  It's a final assembly diagram.
    jbishop1039SpamSandwichargonaut
  • Reply 10 of 28
    mac_128mac_128 Posts: 3,454member
    glad to see it is the 6 formfactor:)
    True, but It looks more like the 5s shape. It has rounded edges rather than chamfers, though not the same proportions as the 6 because is thicker, and the same plastic separators for the antennas. So the veneer is that of a 6, but the form factor is arguably still the 5s. And if Apple lives up to its usual MO, and the "budget" rumor is to be believed, it may have a lot more in common with the 5s internally. In which case, I'm still holding out for a "5se" and a "6c".
  • Reply 11 of 28
    Is no one else thinking the timing of this 'leak' is very convenient given Apple's current predicament with the FBI?
  • Reply 12 of 28
    Reentry??? Apple never stopped selling 4" iPhones.
    clemynxpmz
  • Reply 13 of 28
    Power's back on top. Very nice.
    kevtargonaut
  • Reply 14 of 28
    Even xiaomi can now make bezel free phones nowadays. Would be very valuable for those who prefer smaller form factors. Apple seems to be stuck in 2007.
    edited February 2016
  • Reply 15 of 28
    eriamjh said:
    Sigh.

    That's not a schematic.  It's a final assembly diagram.
    I agree, it's an assembly drawing. I think they will call the new iPhone 6c.
    mcarling
  • Reply 16 of 28
    mnbob1mnbob1 Posts: 269member
    Is no one else thinking the timing of this 'leak' is very convenient given Apple's current predicament with the FBI?
    I think you are delusional. What does this have to do with the FBI situation? You need to go into politics so you can align yourself with the other Washington elected congressmen and presidential candidates in thinking Apple is turning a tragedy into a marketing campaign. 
    ballsdeeptech
  • Reply 17 of 28
    It seems to me that Apple is finally doubling down on security. From these leaks, no one knows if it's going to look like a 5S or 6S.
    argonaut
  • Reply 18 of 28
    clemynxclemynx Posts: 1,552member
    I can't believe this. Now that they are making a 4 inches phone it has a protruding camera? If that's true it's a total deal breaker for me. I want the monolithic feeling!
  • Reply 19 of 28
    19831983 Posts: 1,225member
    It looks more like an iPhone 5 than 6 to me.
  • Reply 20 of 28
    I think it should be a 6sc - the 5c was 5 internals in a new case, this is supposedly 6s internals in a new case. 

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