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Claimed production model of iPhone 6 casing shows more subtle Space Gray antenna breaks

French site NWE claims to have found photos of a finished production model of the casing of the 4.7-inch version of the iPhone 6, shown in gray.

While not revealing anything new about the overall design of the phone, it does appear to give a much clearer view of how the antenna breaks are handled, with a significantly more subtle appearance than had been suggested by some earlier leaked parts, mockups and renders – as seen in the photo below … 

Breaks are needed in an all-metal casing to allow the transmission of radio signals, and there’s been a lot of concern about the aesthetics of these based on versions with either white or black lines. If this is indeed the real thing,  we suspect a lot of those concerns may be allayed.

The degree to which the breaks stand out does appear to depend on the angle at which the light hits the casing, less noticeable here at the top of the phone than at the bottom. You can see a couple of interior shots over at NWEand iPhonote is showing a side view of what appears to be the same case:

Claimed parts shown on the same site yesterday appear to show that the iPhone 6 will be available in similar or identical colors to the iPhone 5s. It is also looking near-certain that the traditional annual rumors about the inclusion of NFC for mobile payment are finally true, with the Financial Times lending its weight to earlier reports from Venture Beat, GeekBarWired and others.

We’ll find out for sure at the Flint Center in Cupertino on 9th September.

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Comments

  1. The iPhone 6 looks like it’ll feel great in the hand, harkening back to the days of the original iphone, only more seemless. I guess we’ll have to say goodbye to those lickable chamfered edges cutting into our flesh. That’s an exaggeration, but you know what I mean.

    • Michael Perry (@Alticus) - 10 years ago

      Also say goodbye to the phone appealing aesthetically at all. Those thick bands are just an eye sore. I can’t believe the Apple execs can’t see that.

      • rogifan - 10 years ago

        IF this is legit then those bands are designed that way for a reason. It seems highly suspect they would be designed that way for aesthetic reasons,

      • jedimindtrick99 - 10 years ago

        Almost looks like they would stop the phone from sliding on a flat surface, just IMO

      • Alex Vizzini - 10 years ago

        Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I use to think they were ugly but now I like them.

      • Oflife - 10 years ago

        Stevie would have seen them and insisted they design them out. I have my working iPhone 1 (2G) on my desk here, and it’s till the nicest looking and feeling iPhone, although the 5c comes close. I just don’t get Apple’s obsession with metal, which causes allergies (in me and others), is easily scratched, is a poor wireless conductor etc. No benefit at all really.

      • jrox16 - 10 years ago

        –> Oflife:
        I’ve never heard of anyone being allergic to aluminum though, has that happened to anyone you know? The stories lately have been of copper pins, and copper is a known potential allergen to skin for some.
        Metal does not scratch easier than plastic. This myth keeps getting perpetuated because of the dark iPhone which when scratched, showed the bright aluminum under the anodized surface. A silver or grey iPhone won’t show scratches nearly as much, but plastic is much easier to scratch than metal, than aluminum, because it is softer. The scratch resistance of a material typically depends on how hard the surface is. That’s why nothing can scratch diamond, other than another diamond. Tungsten Carbide is also very hard, and pretty much nothing can scratch that other than diamond. Plastic, especially the cheap kind used in consumer electronics, is very soft compared to metal and scratches easier. It might not show as much only because plastic can be the same color on the inside as it is on the surface, metal cannot, it has to be painted or anodized, unless you made it of stainless steel.

        The reason Apple uses aluminum is because it provides a more “premium” quality device, plus it’s light, strong, and more durable than plastic. There’s a reason airplanes are made of aluminum and not plastic. There’s a reason high end watches are made of stainless steel or titanium. Metal can last forever, is very durable, and doesn’t discolor over time like plastic does. It also doesn’t crack on impact typically, but instead bend and dent. It also has the benefit of being a great conductor for heat and can dissipate heat from electronics, unlike plastic. And, it eliminates the need for a separate antenna inside the phone since the entire case of the phone can act as the antenna. But you need to put non-conductive breaks between multiple antennas and thus you have the plastic bands.

      • clintaustin26 - 10 years ago

        @jrox16

        Actually my mother is allergic to aluminum and other metals like nickel and copper. There are several foods she can’t eat that contain aluminum in their list of ingredients. She can only wear precious metals like gold or silver, otherwise she gets a rash after prolonged exposure to her skin. If she eats anything with aluminum she’ll break out in hives and it’s quite detrimental to her health. She won’t have a problem with the iPhone though. She’s always got a case on hers.

        I have no problem with the aluminum on the iPhone, but I wish they’d do something significant with their exclusive liquid metal license.

  2. redbeed (@redbeed) - 10 years ago

    I Love the Gray iPhone. Balck gand Cold… not…

  3. Khaled Khaldi - 10 years ago

    It’s not beautiful like this, If the iPhone 6 had these Space Gray antenna breaks then I will not buy it.

    • CJ Sheets - 10 years ago

      Come on, sure ya will.

    • spiralynth - 10 years ago

      >> It’s not beautiful like this, If the iPhone 6 had these Space Gray antenna breaks then I will not buy it.

      Merhaps it will be the iPhone 6 not allowing you to buy it. Just merhaps the device does not want to be owned by you, hence making itself ugly and unappealing to you and others it does not feel are worthy of owing it. That’s one powerful chameleon right there!

      I find it ludicrous how some people come to conclusive decisions based on mere photos … unofficial and rumored ones, nonetheless.

      • silas681 - 10 years ago

        Merhaps you need to proof read your posts……twice

      • spiralynth - 10 years ago

        >> silas681 said: Merhaps you need to proof read your posts……twice

        Sometime it’s necessary to go out of our way to spell things out for the dim ones amongst us. Check yourself next time, clown … twice.

        Yawn.


        Word of the Week: Merhaps
        by Editors

        In a sentence: When Denise’s roommate asked if she would take out the trash, she responded with a resounding, “Merhaps.”

        Thanks to reader Tom for this week’s word!

        Do you have a Word of the Week you want to share with Knoworthy readers? Email it to us! It could end up in our new column.

        More Like This: Word of the Week

      • silas681- - 10 years ago

        It……just……..sounds………silly! Come onnnnnnn!

    • robertvarga79 - 10 years ago

      Thread escalated quickly…Lovely

  4. Seth David (@1LottoStud) - 10 years ago

    Can someone explain to me about radio signal design. I understand that breaks need to be included if the phone is metal or aluminum, but how do bands on the outside of the casing accomplish this if they don’t go though to the inside? In all the leaks i’ve seen of the inside of the device, there are no breaks on the top or bottom, just one piece of aluminum. I just don’t understand if there are no breaks in the metal, how would having these rubber/plastic strips make sense. Perhaps someone can explain

    • picknicker1971 - 10 years ago

      @ Seth David
      If you look at the inside shot posted on NWE, you will see that on the edges the rubber-band separates the the housing.
      On the inside you do not see the band as it is covered by metal and plastic parts. I assume to give the case the necessary stability. Otherwise you could bend the case with this rubber joints.

  5. Lars Pallesen - 10 years ago

    Now that’s more like it. Quite nice looking, actually. I wouldn’t mind if this is what the iPhone 6 looks like.

  6. redbeed (@redbeed) - 10 years ago

    It is possible that the small iPhone (new C iPhone 6c?) have big antenna breaks, and the big one have smaller antenna breaks?

  7. iSRS - 10 years ago

    GASP!!!! You mean to tell me that Apple will have done everything possible to minimize the rough aesthetics seen in early leaks?!?!

    I dig this design. But let’s be honest. My iPhone 6 is going in a case.

  8. OneOkami (@OneOkami) - 10 years ago

    Those shots actually don’t allay my concern over the aesthetics. Those bands still look like crap to me. Actually the overall look of the case doesn’t do much for me and may perhaps be overall the least aesthetically pleasing iPhone yet for me.

    I don’t like putting cases on my phone. Ideally I prefer to see and use it in its raw beauty, but I’m getting the impression I’ll be really looking forward to finding some nice case designs that’ll actually make the phone look BETTER than it does nude.

    • rettun1 - 10 years ago

      Good thinking, wouldn’t want the back of the phone to distract you when you are looking at the screen on the front

      • OneOkami (@OneOkami) - 10 years ago

        Yeah, just like I wouldn’t want the exterior of car to distract me while I’m driving in the interior.

        Excellent thinking buddy ;)

      • robertvarga79 - 10 years ago

        I also use my iPhone 5s without any case, not bought one at all, simply to keep aesthetically pleasing and in its original thinness.

  9. standardpull - 10 years ago

    I got to agree. The fact that it even has antennas is a joke like a TV from the 1980s with metal poles coming out of it looks very silly and inelegant. They won’t sell very many.

    • thank god you are not in charge of my stock portfolio. really? they won’t sell many? they will sell tons and people will put cases on and it will be a non issue and Apple will make lots of money.

    • Ethan Morgan (@duepeak) - 10 years ago

      The antennas are nothing like a TV from the 1980’s. Realize that now your TV plugs directly into cable and thus no longer needs antennas (unless you don’t have cable and prefer a digital antenna). Cellular phones will always need antennas and I am sure Apple tried to make them as best as they could. That is, after all, the point of the glass panels on the back of the iPhone 5/5S, just in a more minimalistic manner on the iPhone 6 (if that is the actual design).

    • Alex (@Metascover) - 10 years ago

      You should patent radio without an antenna.

      • frankman91 - 10 years ago

        I am sure he meant visual ques for the antenna, not that it should actually not have an antenna.

        I agree with lots of these though. Apple has always been about clean lines and sharp design; the back of this phone is not that. I think they will sell 10 billion of these things and to that effect they probably don’t, but it doesn’t make it less ugly.

    • Chris Cook (@TCCook) - 10 years ago

      LOL, yea. They should just remove the antennas altogether since we never use them. they could remove the CPU as well and save a ton of money, they really only need the display and a button. Maybe you should go work for Apple and save them a ton of money?!?

    • aediaz10 - 10 years ago

      I can’t agree with you. Is obviously a matter of fact that Americans don’t use cases in their phones, since it’s so easy for you to get a subsidized or buy an unlocked iphone at $650 (having a worst salary of 600$ each week) but in other countries like mine, for example, I got paid 700$ in a monthly basis with a career in Computer Engineer working as a Web Developer, in this matter, I don’t really care a lot about the housing since I ALWAYS buy a protective case (I really need to take care of my phone).

    • jrox16 - 10 years ago

      LMAO!

    • robertvarga79 - 10 years ago

      Oh boy, you really must be new in reality, and Apple’s selling stats of devices…

  10. chrisl84 - 10 years ago

    I think this looks quite nice considering its missing parts to complete the overall look. Can’t wait to see how the other two colors look. Mark me down as someone definitely upgrading this year.

  11. picknicker1971 - 10 years ago

    @ Seth David
    If you look at the inside shot posted on NWE, you will see that on the edges the rubber-band separates the the housing.
    On the inside you do not see the band as it is covered by metal and plastic parts. I assume to give the case the necessary stability. Otherwise you could bend the case with this rubber joints

  12. The gaps might also function as a shock absorber. Reducing glass cracking.

  13. Michael Garnett (@_jorts) - 10 years ago

    This is certainly better, though still not great. Not the best Apple should be capable of IMO.

    Mine will go in a case so it doesn’t really bother me either way. If the rumors of a larger screen are true, and that seems to be a given at this point, then I’ll be a happy camper.

    • taoprophet420 - 10 years ago

      Looks absolutely the same to me. Still way to wide. I would rather seen then keep the ceramic panel of the silver & gold model and glass panels of the gray model. If going solid metal back should went the the htc one m8 design.

  14. I didn’t know there were so many design experts out there. The breaks aren’t pleasing; but a deal breaker? Please… The phone is still going to have the best camera, best screen, best processors and best software out there. Also, it’ll work seamlessly with potentially the best smart watch to be released this year; but you’re not going to buy it because you don’t like the antenna breaks waaaaaaaaaah! SMH…

    • Bruno Fernandes (@Linkb8) - 10 years ago

      No iPhone has ever had the best camera – that is if you’re talking about the hardware. With some software magic they’ve done wonders to bring it up to satisfactory levels, but still not the best available in a mobile.

      Don’t doubt for a second that some people will indeed skip the iPhone because of something like the antenna breaks. Thinking otherwise is being even more silly and naive than the people who will skip the phone because of it.

    • Alex (@Metascover) - 10 years ago

      Sure, what Apple customer cares about the design of their iPhone, right?

    • frankman91 - 10 years ago

      What numbers are you using that the phone has the best of all these things? iPhone fan or not, at least be honest with yourself about what you are buying.

      I am personally not an Apple fan, but I can see lots and lots of reasons people are; but across the board best specs is not one of them and you are making claim to the best smart-watch of which we have seen absolutely nothing about.

      Also don’t forget that a HUGE reason that people are Apple fans is elegant design, and this thing does not look elegant (IMO). Again, I am not an Apple person but the iPhone 5s is sexy as hell when left undressed. I see this is as a step in the wrong direction from a design perspective.

    • jxslepton - 10 years ago

      I’m not switching to android anytime soon and I can admit that the iPhone, specs wise, doesn’t use hardware specs as a selling point.

      At the same time there are a LARGE group of people out there who believe that more megapixels makes a better camera.

      That being said, those THICK bands are nasty.

      • jrox16 - 10 years ago

        Specs on paper mean nothing, it’s performance that matters. Today’s Formula One cars have tiny 1.6L Turbocharged V6 engines. Sounds like a joke compared to a fast street car…. but the F1 car will run circles because of so many other factors, weight especially, but many more as well. My point is that you cannot use 3-4 specs and think that tells the whole story. Fact is, the iPhone 5S today, scores #1 on 10 of 17 benchmarks against all the newest and best Android phones including the GS5 and the LG G3. And it’s a 1 year old phone! Just go to anandtech’s site and look for the LG G3 review, go look at the performance benchmarks. It’s a very reputable site which reviews and benchmarks all sorts of computer hardware.

        That being said, I don’t care for the bands either. I saw a render which had glass inlays in the spots surrounded by the bands, and had very thin bands on the edges just like the iPhone 5. It looked fantastic. But, the bands alone won’t be enough to turn me away, I’m still looking forward to rounded edges and a 4.7″ screen, and everything else that will be jacked up on this thing.

      • jxslepton - 10 years ago

        Yes the glass inlay version seems to be more of apples style and i hope thats the route they go but like some people have said, this phones going in a case anyhow.

  15. Bruno Fernandes (@Linkb8) - 10 years ago

    Does the person in the photo have really small hands? Because comparing against other leaked shots, even recent ones, this looks more like the 5.5″ device’s casing.

    WRT to the bands, I would have preferred (greatly) they make them a contrasting color, like dark grey, and then anodize the small rectangle to match. Probably not happening because it’s too difficult to match in all metal and they’re not will to go glass in back at all for the new releases.

  16. acslater017 - 10 years ago

    Sheesh, get a little perspective, folks. People have fixated on the tiniest aesthetic “flaws” since iPhones have existed. The iPhone 4 antenna breaks, the dual-tone backing of the iPhone 5.

    Apple will blow us away with a new design on September 9 like they do every 2 years. We will get used to whatever we thought was “ugly” 3 weeks prior and gobble it up. With all of the potential brewing for new products, you think ANYONE will be lamenting the frickin antenna band thickness a month from now?

  17. jedimindtrick99 - 10 years ago

    Looks like multi use skid pad(stop sliding on flat surface)/NFC/antenna breaks/griping strips(for taking pics)

  18. acslater017 - 10 years ago

    I think this looks awesome, as it effectively “cheats” the constraints around smartphone material choices. Metal is strong, but interferes with radios. Plastic feels cheap and greasy. Glass is prone to shattering.

    This design is all metal, but will allow radio transmissions trough the antenna bands and the transparent Apple logo. Should be the most durable, thin, ergonomic iPhone yet. But of course haters gonna hate.

  19. Alex (@Metascover) - 10 years ago

    You could have done some white-balance on the image. It looks green this way.

  20. birdman1012 - 10 years ago

    Is there a way those antenna breaks can still end up being metal? I think they look a lot better than the mockups. They seem to blend in more. But if the casing was a solid color (gray, silver, gold) with metal bands it would look better. And more of an apple design.

  21. craigkocher - 10 years ago

    I think it looks great, but let’s be honest here, if you refuse to buy this phone based solely on the fact that those antennae lines are there than maybe you should just stick with what you have.

    95% of people will be putting this in a case anyway (I know that’s where mine will be on day 1) so who cares? Put a case on it and you won’t need to look at those antennae lines.

  22. I thought, read hoping, that the breaks might turn out like this. Now come on 9-9!

  23. Stetson - 10 years ago

    That looks more like Silver than Space Gray to me, especially when compared to the background colors in the photos.

  24. tangorum (@tangorum) - 10 years ago

    don’t like it… sad to say but bye iphone

  25. moo0198 - 10 years ago

    Sorry

    But it’s ugly

  26. capdorf - 10 years ago

    Looking at all the photos, I can’t figure out how the top and bottom sections would work as antennas, as the inside appears to be all metal, without the breaks that appear on the outside.

    • jonp1002014 - 10 years ago

      where does it show you the inside?

      • capdorf - 10 years ago

        At NWE in the article. Although after investigation, I can see that possibly the outside edge may be separated, but the back is unclear, as it is difficult to distinguish between plastic parts and metal

      • jonp1002014 - 10 years ago

        Ah ok.

  27. capdorf - 10 years ago

    The question that remains is, will there be a phone the size of the 5, but with top quality ( not only available in the lowest memory etc) as some of us still prefer a smaller phone?

  28. dvinder42 - 10 years ago

    still looks ugly. quite shocked by this.

  29. Darrin (@DarSea2) - 10 years ago

    If this is real, maybe it will show up with Liquidmetal filling the space?

    Hopefully it’s not real.. seriously. It could be the beginning of Apple’s ugly years.

  30. CJ Sheets - 10 years ago

    Those antenna breaks so many are complaining about are almost certainly for the wireless radios, GPS, and the newly rumored NFC. Signals can’t pass through aluminum too well.

  31. drtyrell969 - 10 years ago

    I think I’ll be willing to believe after the 900th pic of the same case is posted.

  32. Cigarette Smoking Man - 10 years ago

    I haven’t owned an iPhone since iPhone 3g. since then I’ve owned a Palm Pre Plus, HTC Inspire, and now currently Samsung Galaxy Exhibit which is such a crappy phone I can’t even begin to tell how many things suck about it. So since I own a Macbook Pro I’m really excited for OSXYosemite and iOS 8.

    Basically iOS 8 is the reason i’m getting the iPhone 6. But I’m really not liking these leaked photos of it. .. This new design looks like…. dare I say it?… a Samsung. ugh!

    Maybe once it’s got it’s finished coat of paint and we see it all done up I’ll change my mind but if it looks this ugly… I might just buy the iPhone 5S as soon as I get confirmation that the 5c & 5S get an iOS 8 update.

    sigh…

    • hollandevans - 10 years ago

      You have your confirmation – there is no reason on planet earth the 5s & 5c won’t get iOS8,

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Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Ben Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!


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