iPhone 5S news, rumours, release date and specs

The next iPhone is likely to be called the iPhone 5S, rather than the iPhone 6. As ever, Apple hasn't revealed a single detail about the upcoming phone. However, plenty of analysts, rumour-mongers and claimed insider sources have spilled the beans on the next phone.

Update February 2013

Leaked images suggest the iPhone 5S will feature a next-gen Apple A7 processor, rather than the smaller sub-generational shift we were expecting. The pictures were leaked by an unnamed source and published by website iOSDOC. It's hardly the last word in authority, but a step above a serial rumour-monger like DigiTimes, which produces about 50 per cent of iPhone rumours.

The report also comes with some more specifics. The iPhone 5S chip will be a quad-core model clocked at 1.2GHz. This will be backed with 2GB of RAM. Although neither sounds too impressive in the mobile as an industry as a whole (there are already 2GB, 8-core phones we know of), but is a big upgrade over the iPhone 5. The current model has a dual-core 1.2GHz chip and 1GB of RAM. What we really want to know about, though, is how powerful the GPU will be.

Another iPhone 5S pic leak happened recently too - one that shows the iPhone 5S on the production line. The leak came from Chinese website SJBBS, and suggested that the next iPhone will offer a better battery, a better camera and NFC. However, just as likely as not, it's a cheap far east knock-off and not an iPhone 5S at all. Check out the full story below for more.

iPhone 5S Release Date

It may not be long until the iPhone 5S arrives. Reports from late 2012 say it will arrive as early as March 2013. However, more recent speculation from China Times says the mobile will launch in June 2013, alongside a 4.8-inch model called the iPhone Math.

This would mean the iPhone 5S will launch nine months on from the iPhone 5. It's seems more likely than the six months of the proposed March 2013 date.

iPhone 5S Design

Jeffries analytst Peter Misek says that the iPhone 5S body will veer closer to what we currently see in the iPod touch 5th Generation. That means colourful editions, of “6-8 colours”. These may see the iPhone 5S pitched as the more “fun” alternative to the 4.8-inch screen of the iPhone Math.

We hope Apple doesn't incorporate the loop lanyard holder seen in the iPod touch, though. It's a bit naff, isn't it.

iPhone 5S Screen

The “next iPhone” screen is usually the subject of masses of speculation, but this time around it has taken a bit of a backseat.  Rumblings suggest the iPhone 5S will feature an IGZO screen from Sharp.

IGZO may seem to be coming out of nowhere, but Sharp is reportedly already cutting iPad 9.7-inch screen production. Some say it's because of the popularity of the iPad mini, but Sharp says it is down to ramping-up of IGZO screens – which may feature in the iPad mini 2 as well as the next iPhones.

IGZO stands for Indium Gallium Zinc Oxide. Although you won't necessarily notice the difference in image quality between an IGZO screen or a high-quality IPS one – as seen in the iPhone 5 – it's a major tech innovation. IGZO screens do not refresh when displaying a static image. This will reduce battery consumption and should ensure mid-level users should get a solid two days of use, with 3G on.

However, we don't think the basic dimensions or resolution of the iPhone 5S display will change. We're once again looking at a 4-inch widescreen 1,136 x 640 screen. That said, there are some suggestions that the phone will have a mind-boggling resolution of 2,272 x 1,280 pixels. Given you can't see single pixels in the current iPhone 5, there's not much point in such an incredibly high resolution.

iPhone 5S Specs

Speculating on what sort of CPU the iPhone 5S will feature is not difficult. The iPhone 5 uses an A6 chip, while the iPad 4 has a more advanced A6x chip. Apple's iPhone 5S is may step up to use this more advanced chip architecture.

However, others suggest the iPhone 5S will go even further, to a still more advanced architecture. The A6 and A6X chips are 32nm in design, but Extreme Tech says  a 20nm processor is in the works. This will offer much greater power relative to clock speed.

Peter Misek, who predicted that colourful iPhones are on the way, also says that the iPhone 5S will feature NFC. This is Near-Field Communication, one of the most glaring omissions from the iPhone 5. NFC can be used to transfer data over short distances, and is also becoming a somewhat-common wireless payments standard. Several high-street chains support it, including EAT and Starbucks.