Report: Apple still prototyping ‘iPhone Edition’ that may launch later than September

A new set of rumors from Macotakara claim the tenth-anniversary iPhone rumored to be making its debut this year could be called the “iPhone Edition” and include a dual camera similar to the iPhone 7 Plus in a 5” device that’s the same size as an iPhone 7. The site says that multiple prototypes are still under consideration by Apple, including varieties with or without a home button and varieties with thin-film-transistor LCDs or AMOLED displays. Aluminum, glass and white ceramic are also reportedly under consideration for the chassis, leading to speculation that with so many factors still undecided production on the device might start later than usual. The new report is firm on the idea that “iPhone Edition” will feature wireless charging, but previous reports have claimed Apple is still undecided on which type of wireless charging method to use.
Macotakara’s suggestion that the “iPhone Edition” will be a 5” device flies in the face of other reports placing it at 5.8” — essentially a bezel-less iPhone in the same footprint as the iPhone 7 Plus. However a recent note from KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggested that the 2017 OLED iPhone would feature a stacked logic board making way for a larger battery in the same body size as the 4.7” iPhone 7, hinting at a similar notion that the special edition iPhone would be the smaller of the two existing sizes. Following all of the rumors, it’s unclear if there would be only one 4.7” iPhone and 5.5” iPhone, a 4.7” OLED iPhone in addition to two LCD base models, or two versions of both form factors — a 4.7” LCD iPhone, a 5.5” LCD iPhone, a bezel-less 5” OLED iPhone, and a bezel-less 5.8” OLED iPhone, all with differentiating features and names.

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Dan Pye was a news editor at iLounge. He's been involved with technology his whole life, and started writing about it in 2009. He's written about everything from iPhone and iPad cases to Apple TV accessories.