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Could this be our first look at the much larger iPhone 6?

Update: These appear to be fake…

Sonny Dickson has posted images today which claim to show the casing for the next generation iPhone. The metal shell, which closely resembled both the industrial design of the current iPod touch and iPad Air, appears to be of unibody construction. While it’s impossible to verify the legitimacy of these images at this time, they provide an interesting look at what Apple might be planning.

We’ve been hearing reports that the next iPhone will feature a larger, sapphire crystal display, and these images support those rumors, sporting what looks like much larger casing. The report also hints that the current iPhone 5s may stick around, but be manufactured out of cheaper materials, alongside both 4.7 and 5.5″ iPhone models. But what does that mean for this shell?

We’ve got lots more images in the full gallery below:

Here’s an extremely rough mockup of the iPhone 5’s casing superimposed over Dickson’s image, showing possible size differences between the two cases.

Screen Shot 2014-02-12 at 5.04.25 PM

Next generation iPhone rumors have varied far and wide at this point, with the WSJ claiming Apple is testing prototype 4.7 and 5.7″, or even 4.8 to 6″ iPhone displays, while Bloomberg has noted Apple may be planning on larger, curved displays. Of course, at this point, we’re still 8 months or so out from a new iPhone, and Apple tests a wide variety of designs, so it’s very likely things could still change quite a bit.

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Comments

  1. rogifan - 10 years ago

    Hmm…that almost looks like an iPod touch shell. If it’s for the iPhone where would the antennas go? Maybe the really large device rumors include a actually a new iPod touch?

    • Tim Kretschmann - 10 years ago

      ipod touch max? :D

    • Mark Laurenz - 10 years ago

      The edges in the second last picture look like a new iPhone 2 me !

    • Peter Hess - 10 years ago

      Screen size increase to match the iPhone I can see, but I doubt that the iPod touch would gain a dual tone flash…

    • iloganrussell - 10 years ago

      iPod touches don’t have mute switches.

    • o0smoothies0o - 10 years ago

      Unless they cut the hole in the shell later, it can’t even be an iPod Touch. There is still a black plastic cutout in the shell on iPods so the wifi works.

    • mark0708 - 10 years ago

      I’d say its a safe bet it does cellular because of the sim card slot, must be a new antenna system.

    • Matt Kalinowski - 10 years ago

      There is a sim slot.

    • If they are now making the housing out of Liquid Metal Alloy then they do not need any cut outs for the antennas. Based off the way the metal is antennas can pass through it and it can also be the antenna. I am hoping that this housing is liquid metal because it will help with wireless charging and NFC.

      • Greg Kaplan (@kaplag) - 10 years ago

        I don’t follow. Isn’t liquid metal a process for machining parts? How would this work differently? could you share some links?

    • lyroy14 - 10 years ago

      iPod touch 6th Gen with iPhone 6 size/design elements

  2. Tim Kretschmann - 10 years ago

    Designed as an ipod?

  3. Julius Cruickshank - 10 years ago

    I know it ruins the surprise, but I still do get a kick out seeing these leaks. Real or not, they feed the crave.

  4. pscf3 - 10 years ago

    I hope they keep a 16:9 ratio for the screen.

    • weakguy - 10 years ago

      I really doubt it. The height of the phone would be crazy unless the screen size is less than 4.3″

  5. I’ll take two.

  6. If that is true: Congratulations on loosing me as a customer.. :-(
    The iPhone 5 is already on the edge of too big!

    • symperc - 10 years ago

      Agreed. If I want a tablet, I’ll buy a tablet. Keep the phone to a reasonable size.

      • dude its taller and maybe a 1/4 inch wide so the plan is to stretch the screen to the edge so the phone doesnt have to be really big. if you have time go to tmobile and hold your 5 or 5s next to lg g2 and nexus 5, if you notice the lg g2 is edge to edge and is not that much bigger then a iphone 5 or 5s apple is not adding a seventh roll across the top or side as far as the 4.5 inch (4.8 in height) screen goes maybe the 5.0 screen (5.5 inches in height)

    • Of course, you’re assuming they’ll only produce one size.

    • Paul Allen - 10 years ago

      Loosing?

      • Len Williams - 10 years ago

        Thanks for being part of the Grammar and Spelling Police. I hate to make comments these days because of the negative reactions that ordinarily result, but I find the lack of spelling and proper grammar with many commenters horrific. Of course the word is properly spelled “losing”. Adding a second “o” turns it into a word that means to make something “looser” (i.e. un-tightening a stuck bolt or a difficult to turn tap on your faucet). Add to this the frequent confusions between “your” and “you’re”, “then” and “than”, and “there”, “their” and “they’re” and it’s enough to make an English professor weep in despair. Dictionaries are our friends, and Apple’s Oxford American is quite good–even helping out when you spell a word incorrectly.

    • But I suppose iPhone 5 has already been smallest high end smartphone on the planet. What other options have you got?

    • Oh. So you’ll be switching to a smaller Android phone? Which one would that be?

    • Len Williams - 10 years ago

      Oh ye of small vision: The designers and engineers at Apple are very aware that many people think the current iPhone is a terrific size just as it is. If they come out with a larger iPhone it doesn’t mean they will automatically kill off the smaller size. After all, they have a 21″ and a 27″ iMac, and an iPad and an iPad mini, so that people can choose the size that’s right for them. These guys aren’t as dumb as you seem to expect them to be.

      Personally, I’d LOVE to have a larger screen on my iPhone to make browsing the web easier. I currently have an iPhone 4S with a 3.5″ screen. It works just fine, but a 4.7″ or 5″ screen would be fabulous, while still not turning the iPhone into a barge. The additional dimensions would also allow for a bigger battery which means longer usage time. Whoohoo! I don’t know if Apple is actually planning a larger phone, but if so, I’d upgrade in a heartbeat from my trusty 4S.

      • David Alexandru - 10 years ago

        i totally agree with you, i had the iphone 4 for about 3 years and then i switched to the gs4 and it’s a great phone but it kind of bums me out how big it is i think if apple makes the scree between 4.5 and 5 inches it would be the perfect phone, i love the gs4 it’s a great phone but i just prefer the simplicity of iOS and i can’t wait for the iphone 6

  7. ikbenhenk (@ikbenhenk) - 10 years ago

    hmm, very un-apple like to make te front non-symmetrical (top – bottom)

  8. Rio Nine - 10 years ago

    Interestingly the 2 screws ubiquitous with the last few iphones are missing from the bottom edge of the casing (to remove the display). Possibly means a whole unit swop for cracked units or a complete redesign of the device and service options.

    • acslater017 - 10 years ago

      Good point – probably indicates a fake. The Apple Stores made a big push last year to increase in-store repairability. They got new machines that aligned the Multitouch glass and everything. It seems unlikely that they would take a step back on that.

      Despite conspiracy theories, it does Apple zero good to have to explain to their customer why they have to get a new device, possibly wait a few days for a new unit, go through the backup/download process, etc.

  9. TechPeeve (@TechPeeve) - 10 years ago

    Looks like Apple is copying EVERYBODY with a bigger phone in this design

    • Well.. kinda. The bezel-less design “pictured” (its fake.. the quality is the same in each pic.. and the FCC logos) is completely new. Screen size.. yea that’s not. But screen size doesn’t define the phone. Software and features do.

      • Paul Allen - 10 years ago

        How does “the quality” being the same in each pic indicate that they are fake? Wouldn’t the “quality” be the same if they were taken at the same time, with the same camera, under the same lighting? Wouldn’t it be more suspect if the quality of each pic were different? I don’t get your logic.

  10. idriverx18 - 10 years ago

    Design looks like as iPod Touch 5g. Nice

  11. idriverx18 - 10 years ago

    Hmmm. Is it ipod touch + galaxy s4?:)

  12. mark0708 - 10 years ago

    Theres no bezel on the sides!

  13. Alex (@Metascover) - 10 years ago

    FCC, already?

  14. Looks fake to me

  15. Felix Noll - 10 years ago

    Maybe the case itself is the antenna somehow?

  16. Ian MacGregor - 10 years ago

    Prototype != finished product.

    Concerning the rumors of a larger screen:

    I don’t think we’ll see larger screens this year. My statement is based on a recent WSJ interview with Tim Cook.

    “WSJ: People want a bigger screen iPhone. Are you against that?”

    “Cook: What we’ve said is that until the technology is ready, we don’t want to cross that line. That doesn’t say we’ll never do it. We want to give our customers what’s right in all respects – not just the size but in the resolution, in the clarity, in the contrast, in the reliability. There are many different parameters to measure a display and we care about all those, because we know that’s the window to the software.”

    Let’s break this down:

    “What we’ve said is that until the technology is ready, we don’t want to cross that line.”

    I feel that sentence would have been much different if the technology was ready and Apple were planning on a larger iPhone screen this year.

    “That doesn’t say we’ll never do it.”

    I feel that statement wouldn’t have been made at all if Apple were planning on a larger iPhone screen this year. That sentence is saying “don’t give up hope, we will likely do this at some point”.

    “We want to give our customers what’s right in all respects – not just the size but in the resolution, in the clarity, in the contrast, in the reliability.”

    That sentence is telling me “we’re not quite ready for it yet”.

    And, finally: How long did it take for us to see the first instance of a larger iPhone screen while other manufacturers were already making them? The HTC Evo 4G launched on June 4, 2010 with a 4.3 inch screen. The iPhone 5 was the first instance of a larger iPhone screen and it wasn’t released until September 21, 2012. I really don’t think Apple is going to make another similar change this soon.

    • Paul Allen - 10 years ago

      How on earth could Tim Cook have answered any other way? If he gave any indication that a larger screened iPhone were coming, don’t you think that might hurt sales of the current iPhone?

    • PMZanetti - 10 years ago

      DERP. Comments made before iPhone 5s launch. Does not apply here whatsoever., Learn about PR and marketing.

  17. mgking1993 - 10 years ago

    Every time photos of the next generation iPhones have been leaked the unveiling wasn’t far.

    So maybe we’ll see the next generation earlier than expected

  18. kjl3000 - 10 years ago

    Making the iPhone thinner [I]and[/I] rounding the edges just doesn’t make any sense. We’ve already seen it: just remember the original iPhone, iPhone 3G and 3GS, they all had round corners Apple replaced with edgie corners since the debut of the iPhone 4, which gave it a much better and secure grip.

    If you have any doubt, just try holding an iPod touch (which is pretty close to the (fake) prototypes) like a phone to your ear and see if this works …

    This just wouldn’t make any sense …

    • Paul Allen - 10 years ago

      Nearly every phone on the planet, with the exception of the iPhone, has rounded edges. Why on earth wouldn’t it “make sense”? People can hold round edged phones just fine.

      And how does making it thinner not make any sense?? In case you hadn’t noticed, that’s kind of Apple’s thing…

      • kjl3000 - 10 years ago

        I meant rounding the corners especially while making it thinner wouldn’t make sense. Just getting thinner, of course, is very likely.

    • Patrick Turner - 10 years ago

      Hard corners worked fine with a smaller screen. But when holding a large device, every millimeter matters. If you can stretch your thumb just THAT much further to make full use out of your phone, a rounded edge is perfectly logical and probably one of the main reasons behind changing the body.

      The main reason in my mind is unification. They want everybody to feel like their device is paired with their other Apple devices almost seamlessly. If that means making the next iPhone look like an iPad Air then so be it. They will also probably go with a new naming scheme. A 4.7 inch iPhone Air and a 5.5 inch iPhone Pro to fit right into the Air and Pro families that has spread over to iOS already. And with all this unification occurring this year, what better way to tie it all together than with a peripheral that can be worn on your wrist. *Cue iWatch.*

      • PMZanetti - 10 years ago

        This is the correct answer. Larger necessitates rounded edges for one handed comfort.

    • acslater017 - 10 years ago

      The iPhone 4 felt very sharp on my fingers (the iPhone 5 was an improvement). Every time I pull out my old 3G I’m surprised by how comfy it is in the hand, like a rounded pebble.

  19. Timothy Williamson - 10 years ago

    Those volume buttons either indicate it’s an iPod Touch, or they’re redesigning the iPhone to match the iPad Air/iPod Touch.

  20. acslater017 - 10 years ago

    The size/shape is believable but this probably fake. 1) At this point, Apple is probably producing very small numbers of prototypes and should still have secrecy in the assembly line. The exception might be if iPhone is moving to summer this year to give the “iWatch” breathing room in autumn. 2) the whole thing is metal, unfriendly to radio. Apple does own the rights to the RF-transparent LiquidMetal, but I’ve heard squat about them ramping to production levels. (Although LiquidMetal+sapphire = drool). 3) Only a near-final model would necessitate all the FCC and regulatory etchings on the back. Unlikely in February.

    • Paul Allen - 10 years ago

      Unless the release will be much sooner than anticipated… like March or April. If they are going to have multiple screen sizes, it makes sense that they could move to a staggered release cycle.

      • PMZanetti - 10 years ago

        No it doesn’t. Nothing could make less sense.

    • Juke Luke (@JukeLuke) - 10 years ago

      I really want Apple to move to a summer iPhone release. This summer is going to be the last one before college for me, therefore I want a new iPhone so I take pics and stuff (my iPhone 4 is getting old fast). :)

  21. admk (@admko) - 10 years ago

    Fake. Front-facing camera should be perfectly centered like it has always been.

    • acslater017 - 10 years ago

      The iPhone 4 and 4s’ FaceTime camera was to the left of the earpiece.

      More concerning to me, I think Jony Ive would be annoyed by the face’s asymmetry (bottom bezel is thicker than top).

    • PMZanetti - 10 years ago

      LOL Always? Love these FAKE comments from people with no clue. iPhone 4 AND 4S were off center. iPhone 5’s brought it to center.

      It makes no frigging difference.

  22. JY Park - 10 years ago

    See the air bubbles. it’s fake. the bubbles of front and back look perfectly same.(the 4th picture)

    • acslater017 - 10 years ago

      Good eye. The reflections obscure some if the image, but what’s visible is very very similar. Probably a render.

    • Paul Allen - 10 years ago

      Even more telling is the fact that there are air bubbles on the front of the phone even though there is no plastic bag shown. LOL!

  23. Paul Allen - 10 years ago

    “Of course, at this point, we’re still 8 months or so out from a new iPhone, and Apple tests a wide variety of designs, so it’s very likely things could still change quite a bit.”

    How can you say with such certainty that the next iPhone won’t come until September? Is it not possible that it will come sooner? If they are going to introduce multiple sizes is it not conceivable that they would go on a staggered release cycle?

    • PMZanetti - 10 years ago

      Of course its completely inconceivable that they release two major iPhones at different times a few months apart. That is most utterly ridiculous thing you could come up with.

  24. PMZanetti - 10 years ago

    Looks pretty legit…and huge.

  25. ☯ haitao (@haitaoxia) - 10 years ago

    looks a lot like a s4 to me

  26. 조규찬 - 10 years ago

    The bubbles of both front and back side are exactly same. So I think these are precise rendering images.

  27. weakguy - 10 years ago

    Is it just me or the top bezel looks a bit like the HTC One? Anyway, so far it looks like a bigger iPod touch or a small iPad mini.

  28. michael ayers - 10 years ago

    This the a prototype we have played with for quite some time now (2/3 months) it will be VERY similar to the next model iPhone… It is liquid metal in the casing and will NOT have a sapphire screen. Sapphire will however be used to cover the camera lens and TouchID sensor. August/September release date. Names still to be confirmed from marketing as we are looking to get out of the number convention similar to the iPad.

  29. michael ayers - 10 years ago

    This is a prototype we have played with for quite some time now (2/3 months) it will be VERY similar to the next model iPhone… It is liquid metal in the casing and will NOT have a sapphire screen. Sapphire will however be used to cover the camera lens and TouchID sensor. August/September release date. Names still to be confirmed from marketing as we are looking to get out of the number convention similar to the iPad.

  30. Trent Deckard - 10 years ago

    Nobody seems to have mentioned this, but it looks like it takes some design cues from the original iPhone, which is really awesome. I personally thought the rounded- edge aluminum back of the first iPhone was really cool.

  31. rettun1 - 10 years ago

    It doesn’t look like it will be too much wider. I used to touch id ring as a reference, and saw that about six of them can fit side by side on the new device, while 5 or 5.5 rings can go across on the 5s.

    Looks very cool. Would be neat if it’s real

  32. Tim Cleary - 10 years ago

    These look like renders to me
    I’m going to say fake…very well done CG work tho

  33. The Technology Titan - 10 years ago

    I hope this is it, wow. Looks amazing. No bezels at all, and a larger screen.

  34. Robert Brooks - 10 years ago

    I hope they can reduce that ridiculously large forehead of the iPhone. AT least on the chin you can understand why it is as big as it is but the top of the phone looks very strange with all that space.

  35. Mark Ollis - 10 years ago

    Jony seems to have given up on symmetry…

  36. Yes…!! Yes..!! Yes..!!
    It comes in GOLD..!!!!

  37. Edgar Rios - 10 years ago

    The only thing that seems a little bit odd is the “iPhone” text is still bold. (Similar to the iPhone 1-5) Unlike the new 5S’ & 5C’ thinner font.

  38. this for sure looks like apple style, all i need is bezel free iPhone and atleast 5″ screen, and im sure Apple will cut all extra weight from different components and will carry atleast the same weight of current iPhone but with bigger screen, Yet more bigger but same lighter.

  39. Edgar Rios - 10 years ago

    I made a concept based on these links, check it out here:

    http://edgareliud.tumblr.com

  40. Kook Sun Kim - 10 years ago

    This is what Samsung would do. I don’t buy this article.

  41. tilalabubakr - 10 years ago

    the photo no. 3 on the right vertical line:
    the perspectives of the screen and the bezels looks weird to me
    probably FAKE

  42. Alex (@Metascover) - 10 years ago

    That’s a fake by Martin Hajek.
    I thought it was the second I saw it.
    Those odd stains and little blur.

  43. nelmat - 10 years ago

    Little amused by the “It looks huge” comments… It doesn’t look any size at all, there is nothing in the picture to get an aspect of scale from. These images are fake anyway, but good click-bait.

  44. It’s Kooooooool!!!!

  45. notsodailycrystal - 10 years ago

    How could anyone not love such a beautiful creation?

  46. George Benckenstein - 10 years ago

    Betteridge’s law of headlines is an adage that states: “Any headline which ends in a question mark can be answered by the word no.”

  47. PMZanetti - 10 years ago

    I know its probably real when 90 clueless doof’s chime in to call it Fake, with comments like “I analyzed the photo”…or “can’t be real, the FaceTime camera has always been centered on iPhones!”

    LMAO. Gonna call this one legit.

    • Greg Kaplan (@kaplag) - 10 years ago

      I think a legitimate point is not seeing how the antenna signal will get through. On every device there has been some kind of glass or plastic section on the back. I guess after this many years they could have figured out something but even on the latest iPods and iPads there is a plastic part. Someone mentioned “liquid metal” but I don’t understand how that makes it now possible. Any thoughts?

    • Greg Kaplan (@kaplag) - 10 years ago

      Never mind. I read up on liquid metal. It would be great if that is what the next phones are made of. The aluminum iPhones look pretty crappy after a bit of wear because of how easy the ding and scratch. This would look better and wear better.

      I guess between using this metal as an antenna and how Apple has been using a technology that uses one antenna for two different radio signals it could be possible. It would certainly be innovative.

      http://www.cultofmac.com/54827/liquidmetal-inventor-exotic-alloy-may-make-new-iphone-antenna-exclusive/
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amorphous_metal

    • PMZanetti - 10 years ago

      If the tiny Apple logo on the back could suffice as the gateway, they would do it. I think Apple wants more than anything to make an all-aluminum iPhone shell…but still struggles with that obvious problem.

  48. rettun1 - 10 years ago

    Wasn’t the backplate real? I know the whole-seeming device was rendered, but I thought somebody actually had their hands on the backplate

  49. RP - 10 years ago

    That would be one sexy phone if real.

  50. Carlos Ferrari - 10 years ago

    If I wanted my iPhone to look like a Samsung I would buy one Galaxy instead.
    Sure hope it’s fake.

  51. Mark Petersen - 10 years ago

    Uhh… I”ll bet these are real. Martin never did renderings of the inside, which looks pretty damn accurate to me (I repair iPhones). It’s definitely not an iPod unless they’re adding an ear speaker. Also Martin’s renderings had 4 speaker/mic holes, this has many more, plus home buttons, etc.

  52. The idea of a 6″ iPhone does not appeal to me. I hope Apple doesn’t forget that some people were happy with the iPhone 4 and 4s.

    • Greg Kaplan (@kaplag) - 10 years ago

      Yea I really love the size of my 4s. But I wouldn’t be bad if they were able to fit the current 4″ screen in a 3.5″ w x h body. If they applied the same tech used to make a larger phone to make a smaller one, it’d be awesome.

  53. Nick G (@gives2014) - 10 years ago

    My money is on this. It looks like something apple would do.

  54. beat+soul (@1beat1melody) - 10 years ago

    Boo. It looks like a galaxy S4

  55. Alfredo Piel - 10 years ago

    these are clearly 3d renders

  56. Luis Lopes - 10 years ago

    I wont even bother to read the all article. Ugly design = cant be the real prototype.

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Avatar for Michael Steeber Michael Steeber

Michael is a Creative Editor who covered Apple Retail and design on 9to5Mac. His stories highlighted the work of talented artists, designers, and customers through a unique lens of architecture, creativity, and community.

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