As the 5th generation of the iPhone is on the verge of being released, and with all the speculations spreading on the Internet about the iPhone 5, people are anticipating and desperately waiting for the launch of the smartphone. Many fans and current Apple iPhone consumers are wondering what groundbreaking features Apple will add to the new iPhone 5.

This articles summarizes the various features and specifications that are expected to sport the device.

iPhone 5 Features

Although Apple does not reveal the exact specifications and features until the device is officially unveiled, we could dictate some of the main features that are expected. However, rumor of the new iPhone 5 features, in terms of both hardware and software upgrades, will definitely entice any smartphone buyer.

The upcoming phone is expected to sport the Apple’s latest and greatest A5 processor chip, iCloud service, higher-resolution camera, and a 4-inch screen size. Here are some of the most anticipated iPhone 5 features:

iOS 5

Apple announced iOS 5.0 and its features during the WWDC 2011 keynote address on June 6, 2011. The user interface is based on the concept of direct manipulation, using multi-touch gestures. It is expected to come with more than 200 new features that will include improved Notification System, News Stand and iMessage.

iMessage is an application that is developed to compete with Blackberry Messenger. The app will allow iPod Touch, iPhone, and iPad users to communicate (much like a chat service) with each other. The iMessage feature has been integrated into the SMS/MMS application used originally on the iPhone models.

iCloud

The iPhone5 is expected to have the iCloud service.

Apple’s iPhone 5 is expected to feature the new iCloud service for wireless remote access of music from all computers and mobile devices.

The iPhone5 will automatically sync with the iCloud which will allow users to store photos, apps, calendars and documents without having them to store in the phone’s memory. Apple is also looking to tie up with top music label companies to license songs for the iCloud service.

However, rumours state that Apple might release a low-cost “iCloud iPhone” alongside the iPhone 5. It could be named the “iPhone Mini”

“The iPhone Mini (or iPhone Nano, or whatever) could have significantly less storage than a typical iPhone. Most likely 8 gigabytes of storage – the same as the lowest end iPhones right now. Apple won’t prevent users from storing their own content, because that would be crazy. But since it has a small amount of memory, Apple will likely push the ability to stream media via MobileMe as well.”

A5 Processor to power the iPhone5

iPhone 5 will house the A5 as the main processor, which technically is the same chip that currently powers the iPad 2. The A5 contains a dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 CPU with NEON SIMD accelerator and a dual core PowerVR SGX543MP2 GPU, which means that the iPhone5 can do twice the work at once. The processor speed will be somewhere between 1.2 to 1.5 GHz, with probably a 1GB RAM.

The processor upgrade is done not just to increase the processing speed of the phone, but also to compete with the newly launched Samsung Galaxy S II.

The A5 chip might effectively increase the power use, however, it is said that the chip has “got a dynamic power management”, which can lower the [speed] depending on the workload, and thus efficiently make use of the power.

iPhone 5 to Sport a Better Camera

The iPhone 4 sports a 5 megapixel camera, so I’m expecting that the iPhone 5 will have a rear-facing 8MP dual-LED flash camera. However, this isn’t really “awesome”, since most of the high-end Android smartphones come with an 8MP camera. Along with that, the iPhone 5 is expected to have a front-facing camera for video chatting.
iPhone Features According to sources, Apple has filed several patent applications relating to 3D picture capturing to the US Patent and Trademark Office later in March. This indicates that the iPhone 5 might feature a 3D camera. The filing indicates that the device will be capable of capturing, processing and rendering 3D images with dual-camera hardware.

Another interesting feature is that the iPhone 5 will be capable of taking pictures in Panorama. It will work similarly to the ’360 Panorama’ application in the App Store. It will let you take pictures in a sequence as you move the camera from one side to another, which in the end will effortlessly stitch the images together to create a panorama.

Additionally, if Apple really wants to keep up with the competition to Android, then it might consider improving upon the video resolution to a full 1080p HD recording. Currently iPhone 4 has a 720p video capture at 30 frames per second.

iPhone 5 Video

Display and Resolution

There hasn’t been a better screen resolution since the release of the iPhone 4. Currently the iPhone 4 has a 3.5 inches screen size, and sources indicate that Apple might stay locked with the current size. But a few other sources say that Apple is planning to increase the screen size to 4-inch with higher screen resolution. I feel that Apple could compromise at 3.7-inch or 3.75-inch.

Image credits: PhoneArena.com

However, the iPhone 5 could be slightly wider and thinner. The dimensions are calculated to be: 4.33″ x 2.36″ and .27″ thickness at the top and .21″ at the bottom, whereas the dimensions of iPhone 4 are: 4.5″ x 2.31″ x .37″

Other iPhone5 Features

Here are some of the other features that we can expect from the iPhone 5:

· Face Recognition Security
· 4G/LTE support – According the AT&T documents leaked by LulzSec, the Apple iPhone 5 will offer 4G and will be LTE (Long Term Evolution) network compatible. LTE is a project of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), and is the latest standard in the mobile network technology.

· A new, sleeker body design
· OLED screen
· Scratch proof and shatter proof screen
· Wireless sync with iTunes
· Extended battery life
· Flash support
· SIM-Less Phone – According to International Business Times, it is rumoured that the iPhone 5 will feature a new SIM-less design with 2 to 3 internal antennas for CDMA and GSM compatibility, which will make it a “worldphone”.
· Physical Keyboard
· Increased Ram (from 512MB to 1GB)
· New Multi-tasking Look
· HD Audio
· Built In GPS

The above mentioned features are some of the improvements that we can expect from Apple. However, we cannot assure you that they can be true, but most of the upgrades are more likely to be utilized.

Apple definitely wants to fight back against Android smartphone makers like HTC and Samsung, and perhaps it is why the new iPhone 5 will host some of the outstanding features.

iPhone 5 Launch Date

Apple follows a tradition to launch new devices in their summer Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), but that didn’t happen this year.

However, BGR reported that an AT&T Vice President has confirmed to several employees that the iPhone 5 that boasts a stronger chip for processing data and a more advanced camera is scheduled to be launched in early October. Additionally, the VP communicated the following to a group of managers: “Expect things to get really, really busy in the next 35-50 days, so prepare your teams accordingly.”

We can expect the announcement of the iPhone 5 in a late September event along with a release date set for early October.

The iPhone 4 has proven to be one of the most successful smartphones of all time with selling over 1.7 million devices in just three days of availability, and we are expecting that the iPhone 5 will certainly replicate this success, and one thing is for sure – the sales of iPhone 5 will definitely boom and we can expect a huge number of people lined up at Apple stores when the device is available for sale.

iPhone 4 to iPhone 5

So how does the iPhone 5 compare with the iPhone 4? Experts say that software-wise, iPhone 5 is a minor update over iPhone 4. Most notable areas of change are the hardware parts, the processor and the way iPhone 5 lets you sync your work. The iOS is different on both the devices and that is probably as far as it can get. The signal issues that iPhone 4 has would probably be removed totally in the iPhone 5 design – that was one huge problem Apple was facing.

Popular websites that keep us in-tune with iPhone 5 feature rumors and news seem to unanimously agree that the iPhone 5 would boast a slimmer design than the iPhone 4. Being wary of the glass display and the glass back of the iPhone 4 – because of its brittle nature – features of iPhone 5 could very well have an all-metal look with a stronger and stolid display. This might also reduce the chances of the signal problem we found in iPhone 4.

But the details are not in these minor information. The original crux which would attract people is in the details of the processors, the camera, and many other relatively new things that is expected in the iPhone 5 specs. Let’s take a look at each of these clearly and also find out the possibility of their occurrence in the iPhone 5 when it is released.

iPhone 5 Specifications – Part One – the Hardware
Every product that Apple has come out with, has had a very strong sense of elegance. Even the latest iPhone 4 had this very cool look and professionalism. iPhone 5 is said to be thinner, slimmer, stronger and most appealing in terms of size.

All-Metal Body? Perhaps, with the problems faced in the iPhone 4′s display, the glass make is about to go out. The back panel might be metallic, making the iPhone 5 an all-metal phone with a strange rumor about the glass being totally different from that of any smartphone.
The curves are most probably back in the iPhone 5 specs. It might no longer be a close square cut like the one we found in iPhone 4. Also impressive is the fact that iPhone 5 would have a larger display area of about 4 inches.

So far, here are some of the things we have been hearing all too often, to think that they could be true to a large extent:

Curved Glass / 3D Display – Okay, the 3D display might be a far fetched idea, but the possibility of the curved glass design might be quite true. Apple recently bought about 300 special glass cutting machines and that was reported by DigiTimes. If that was true, then surely Apple is onto something with its iPhone 5′s new glass display.
8 MP Camera with Dual Flash – Unimaginably for Apple, it has not yet offered 8 MP cameras on its devices while Samsung and HTC have already come out with their own 8 MP cameras already – way too early for Apple. The iPhone 5 would be an answer to this. Or so we think. An 8 MP camera with dual flash on the rear means higher resolution pictures, greater quality and most notably, greater quality in low-light pictures where the red-eye occurs. Of course, we need to keep our fingers crossed for the iPhone 5 specifications to have this.
A5 Processor – Of all features of iPhone 5, one of the finest thing we believe is the processor. Apple has finally relieved its A4 processor and brought in a dual-core processor that fires up its iPad 2. If iPad and iPhone 4 had the same processors, then it is quite logical to assume that iPhone 5 and iPad 2 would have the same – the A5 processor dual-core for enhanced performance. This is a very sure rumor as far as we know.
More Gesture-based – No Home Button – Oops! No home button? Well, yeah, quite possibily. Apple has moved to improved gesture based controls through its iOS 5. So it is quite possible that the home screen might be dropped for enhanced gesture-controls – one large interface change in iPhone 5 specifications.
Storage and RAM – the features of iPhone 5 is more likely to have an improved RAM of 1GB to go with the dual-core processor. The RAM was 512 MB in the iPhone 4. The storage too might have a chance of increase. Some rumors said it was 64GB this time, but there are some people who say that Apple could very well – considering the wide range of devices, the iPhone-PC or iPhone-Mac sync – do away with the internal storage thing!
Fire-proof iPhone – Stunned with this iPhone 5 feature?? Well, why not to be… New iPhone 5 is likely to be the fire-proof and the company has organized a patent app for highly developed material which is halogen-free flame retardant. It could be incorporated in the iPhone 5 specifications to build this new iPhone 5 and other Apple products.
Wireless Charging- Well… this iPhone 5 specification would give you another break! But you never know the wireless charging is really creating a mass appeal. It could be possible with the inductive wireless charging technology. If you could juice up the battery of iPhone 5 then this will be a big hit. So until iPhone 5 release date comes and the Apple release new smart phone with super cool iPhone 5 features, imagine charging this smartphone without cable.
Extended Battery Life – According to the expected iPhone 5 features and specifications, new iPhone 5 would run on the more powerful battery giving extra talk time and stand by time. Since the new additions of the Apple iPhone is going to have lot more advanced features and applications, the battery will be required to sustain this extended utilization.

Part Two – the Software
One thing that has always stunned experts is the way Apple brings changes to its software. It is sometimes very subtle where you expect it to be huge, and hugely stunning where you expect it to be subtle. Most experts feel that after the recently concluded WWDC – where iOS 5 and iCloud were the topics – there could be no great change but for these two, in the iPhone 5 specifications. Well, that may be true to a large extent, but only a final release of the iPhone 5 will tell.

Here’s again a list of things we could be looking for in the iPhone 5 specs. One thing that has always stunned experts is the way Apple brings changes to its software. It is sometimes very subtle where you expect it to be huge, and hugely stunning where you expect it to be subtle. Most experts feel that after the recently concluded WWDC – where iOS 5 and iCloud were the topics – there could be no great change but for these two, in the iPhone 5 specifications. Well, that may be true to a large extent, but only a final release of the iPhone 5 will tell.

Here’s again a list of things we could be looking for in the iPhone 5 specs.

iOS 5 – A brand new phone and a brand new OS. The iOS (formerly known as iPhone OS) featured since the days of the iPhone 2G. These are very popular times of the iOS 4 but that is soon set to change. IOS 5 has been announced officially. The way it works is through gesture-based controls more than button taps. Perhaps that is why people suspect the lack of a home button in the iPhone 5 features. Design-wise too there are quite a number of changes and enhancements in iOS 5 which was released in the WWDC held this June.
iCloud – We just had the release of some beta apps with iCloud enabled in them. ICloud is the next big thing according to Apple. It is all about sync and nothing more – sync done right. Usually sync is where you had to connect devices and take further steps – for instance, iTunes. But with iCloud all that work is done with a simple tap of a button – the iCloud button. From within iCloud enabled applications, all you need to do is tap this and your document, photo, contact, bookmark, calendar or whatever gets pushed to all your other Apple devices with the iCloud equipped!
HD Video Recording and HDMI Output – In sync with the iOS 5 features, there is a strong possibility that iPhone 5 comes with HDMI output and most certainly with HD video recording. iPhone 4 had HD video recording already and iPhone 5 might either have the same or an enhanced version of it.
Gaming on the move – Why just for social networking and business apps? With such iPhone 5 features, gamers won’t get a bit lessen fun as the new iPhone 5 possibly could come with stronger gaming capabilities powered by PowerVR Series6 mobile graphics processing architecture by Imagination Technologies and A5 processor.
More Speed – 4G technology, the latest standard in network technology will help to build up the network fourth generation that will give you more speed…more fun on the fly with outstanding iPhone 5 specs!
NFC Payment – According to the reports, this NFC (Near Field Communication) technology is under testing and if it comes, then user will be able to make countless payment through scanner. However, according to the ibtimes, the analysts at Jefferies are expecting that this NFC technology will be revealed in the iPhone 5S (probably next version of iPhone 5). Such iPhone 5 features will definitely create waves in the market.
App Store- one of the very important and favorite iPhone 5 features… Apps store has always been great stuff. And why not with new iPhone 5 device. The App store of the Apple holds more than 425,000 apps which means… you can maximize your experience with the latest iPhone 5 specs and features.

iPhone 5 Price

At this stage no official price has been unveiled but we expect the iPhone 5 to be the same price than the iPhone 4 when it was released. We will update this section as soon as we have more information on that topic.

What do you think of iPhone 5? Will you buy it? What additional iPhone 5 features are you expecting? Please let us know by leaving your comments below.