Fully Assembled iPhone 5 Potentially Leaked

Following the iPhone 5 case unveiling, it was only a matter of time before a fully assembled unit got leaked. It seems the phone is everything we’ve come to expect, though the images remain to be confirmed as 100 percent genuine.

A Chinese website named iPhone-something has been sent a bunch of photos that seem to depict the next-generation iPhone from Apple.  All the photos are taken at an angle, making it hard to determine whether or not this unit is longer than the current generation model. However, the two units showing up in the photos do appear to be longer, and thinner, at least in one instance (above). It is interesting to note that the device is not only fully assembled, but also seems to be powered on. iOS shows that this unit has an AT&T SIM card inside, suggesting the leak comes from the United States. Which begs the question: why does this leak arrive via some obscure Chinese site, rather than a well-established American technology blog or news outlet? And why are there two iPhones in this leak?

While the photos do justice to previous leaks from a design standpoint, the colors seem a lot stronger on this unit. The case leak weeks ago showed a dark gray metallic plate for the black model, whereas this one looks to be completely black top to bottom. The only difference in hue is given by the difference in material finish. Reports say the iOS showing up on-screen could be fake, as in photoshopped. While that’s always a possibility with such leaks, the images look quite convincing to at least rule out any image manipulation.

A safer bet would be a fake device altogether. The lighting and the shadows seem too natural to even take into account not one, but four separate highly-doctored images. We’re handing it to you from here. Think this is the real deal?

Posted in: Mobile Phone, Preview