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Photo of iPhone 5 and its premium metal case emerges

With the iPhone 5 set to launch in the next few hours we expect there to be a range of leaks from various sources aiming to steal the spotlight away from Apple

Aaron Pereira|Sep 12, 2012, 13:03:48 IST

With the iPhone 5 set to launch in the next few hours we expect leaks from various sources aiming to get a share of the spotlight from Apple before it officially unveils its next generation smartphone in San Francisco today. The latest snippet of information comes via GSMArena that has sourced an image of the next iPhone from a website called Digitallife.

From the report we can see that the iPhone snapped here is sitting pretty underneath a metal case from a manufacturer called Gresso. The author comments, “The iPhone 5 can be seen lying nonchalantly on the photo next to the case. Dubbed Gresso Revolution, the case is made of solid titanium, which has been selected for its lightness and rigidity. It’s also scratch- and water-resistant thanks to the PVD coating. Just 999 of the luxury cases will be manufactured, so it’s going to be pretty rare.”

Sitting pretty

However, the highlight of this photo is that the next iPhone seen in it resembles handsets from earlier leaks in design. So this could mean that in all likelihood that the leaks were accurate.

There has also been a video showing the casing of the handset, thereby displaying all there is to know about the looks of the next iPhone. The latest news regarding the next iPhone comes courtesy of a YouTube video merely titled video 6190 from a poster called headpaper. Though there have been several leaks in the past, this one seems to be authentic because the phone featured in it is an actual working model of the handset, and not a dummy unit.

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The person who posted the video stated that this is a prototype of the Apple iPhone 5. He also lists some of the details regarding the externals of the device. What he mentions is nothing new for those who have been following up closely with the leaks pertaining to this handset. In the video, he compares the prototype of the iPhone 5 alongside an iPhone 4S and shows that the new handset is a lot larger than the current flagship smartphone.

He also goes on to state that there are many design changes found here and the most noticeable ones are the larger display, the relocation of the headphone jack, the redesigned speaker grille, the new dock and the smaller SIM card slot. He also goes on to mention that the handset features a matte finish at the back panel, which will help in reducing residue from fingerprints. Elaborating on the finish at the back panel, he states that it may be more resistant to scratches as opposed to the iPhone 4S. Another notable mention was that it is thinner than the iPhone 4S but features the same width.

The biggest indicator that shows that this could be a genuine prototype is that when the person turns on the device, it shows the familiar first time start up display showing that it needs to be connected to iTunes. These changes in design are a likely indicator, which may propel Apple to reach high sales figures, and one of the biggest changes expected on the next flagship handset is that it will come equipped with a display measuring 4-inches diagonally.

Read all the rumours on the next iPhone click here.