There's been so much rumor-hawking and speculation the past few weeks that whether you're ready or not, we're squarely in the middle of iPhone season. So here's a quick rundown of everything we think we know about Apple's next iPhone.
Appearance
We think we have a pretty good idea of what the new iPhone will look like; we've been seeing leaked parts for months now, and recently that has moved up to fully assembled phones, and possibly a whole phone smuggled out of a plant.
The phone will reportedly be a unibody design, with a two-tone back, and come in both black and white.
Screen
First and most obviously, the display is probably going to be four inches, and 16:9. We've heard this again and again, and iMore's report today suggests that's the configuration that Apple's locked into.
On a technical level, though, the iPhone is probably going to use Sharp's IGZO display technology. IGZO screens are thinner, because they use smaller transistors, allowing more light to pass through. That means they use fewer LEDs, and therefore take up less space and consume less power.
iOS 6
We all know that the next iPhone will come with iOS 6. And we've learned a good deal about Apple's next mobile OS, too, since it was announced at WWDC in June. It will feature Apple's own mapping system, as well as some pretty cool new features like Passbook.
Traditionally, we get an early look at the new iOS during WWDC, and then get the full dose of it when the new iPhone comes out. This year, if reports are to be believed, we'll also be getting an iPad Mini at the same time, so there could be some differences across devices. But we'll absolutely have the final versions of all the new features.
Peripherals
All signs point to the new iPhone having a smaller dock connector. Like the move to MagSafe 2 adapters, the reported new 19-pin dock connector is a necessity. And it has been for two years, at least, when the iPod Touch reached critical thinness mass.
And if you're really that upset about all of your peripherals, dollars to dock connectors says there will be some kind of converter—like with the MagSafe. It might even be compatible with micro USB (though almost definitely not, in all likelihood).
There's also word coming from iLounge today that the new dock connector will be an insanely small 8 pins, but that seems unlikely because each pin has a separate function, and 8 would limit the functionality of the connector.
Network
It would be hugely surprising if the new iPhone doesn't have 4G LTE. Not only because of the necessity of keeping up with Android and even Windows Phone, but because Apple has been reportedly installing LTE equipment in its stores since last year.
Battery life is also a factor. The IGZO screen's low power consumption, as well as the extra space in the body afforded by the longer, thinner screen, would allow for the iPhone to have a big, long-lasting battery. That's important.
Until now, one of the main reasons Apple hasn't pulled the trigger on LTE is that the hyperspeed connections would have drained the iPhone's battery too quickly. Apple has always prized batter life in its devices, and there was no was it was going to ship an LTE iPhone that couldn't last a whole day on one charge.
NFC
There have been some rumors about the new iPhone having NFC, but at this point, they seem like a bit of a long shot. Passbook in iOS 6 seems like a natural fit for NFC.
Thing is, no one's really drooling over NFC right now. Not like they are for LTE speeds. Apple probably has the muscle to push its own NFC venture through the carriers, unlike Google Wallet. But while it makes perfect sense to pair a mobile payment system like Passbook with NFC, if demand isn't there, there's not much reason to stick its nose in the fire. Even Apple's WWDC announcement of Passbook made it seem like we'd be without NFC for a while.
Release Date
As of today, the best idea we have is that report from iMore that the iPhone will be announced alongside a new iPad Mini on September 12th, and released on the 21st. It would be about a month earlier than the presumed October announcement and release, which would have been a year after the 4S. But it also makes sense, since the iPhone 4S has lost a lot of momentum the past few months, since everyone's already talking about its successor.
Name
It's easier to call it the "iPhone 5," but it also doesn't make any sense; this will be Apple's sixth handset, after all. What's far more likely is that Apple will ditch the numerical naming convention like it did this year with the iPad. Your next iPhone will just be the iPhone.
Maybe
Of course, this could all be totally wrong. As we saw from the cache of iPhone prototypes last week, Apple works on multiple designs at once. So while it seems unlikely, the final released design could be totally different from what we've been seeing for the past several months. But it's way more likely that this is the iPhone that's going to land in our laps in about seven weeks.
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