Leak: ‘iPhone 5’ Prototype Previewed on Video

In a move that is sure to royally displease Apple, someone called ‘Chris’ has video previewed a prototype ‘iPhone 5’ received from an anonymous source and compared it to the current iPhone 4S. The new iPhone looks very much like the leaked pictures that have been flying around the internet lately, adding weight to the validity of this video.

The new iPhone is a bit thinner than the 4S. It maintains the same width, but the overall length is longer, to accommodate the longer screen, which appears to be in a 16:9 ratio. The screen isn’t as large as on the Samsung Galaxy S3 however. Other changes compared to the 4S include the front facing camera moved from the left side of the speaker to above, the audio jack moved from the top of the device to the bottom. On one side is a mini-SIM connector, at the top a lock button and the other side the volume control and mute switch. The dock connector is different, being much smaller than the current version – and crucially, incompatible with it.

Apparently, Apple isn’t too happy about the plethora of third party docks that have sprung up around the iPod and iPhone, so they have designed this new connector so that only approved third party docks can be made. There is actually a special chip behind this connector which will perform an encrypted handshake with an equivalent chip in the third party dock to ensure compliance. This is Apple’s usual control-freakery shining through once more. Be prepared to throw out your existing docks and spend big on new versions, with potentially more limited choices. We have more info about the new dock connector, here.

The back of the phone has simply ‘iPhone’ written on it, along with the serial number as “XXX” (meaning prototype) and the usual electrical compliance symbols etc. It has a matte black finish and appears to be made of aluminium. Finally, the new iPhone is switched on, at which point it prompts for an iTunes connection. However, the reviewer doesn’t have the required cable so is unable to use the phone and show off its functions.