ETrade Supply, a wireless parts company, has captured a highly detailed video of what seems to be an aluminum backplate bound for the sixth-gen iPhone. The component is identical to the backplate first leaked in May, suggesting the part may be legit.
The clip also features a side-by-side comparison between the purported component and the iPhone 4S chassis and back glass. It is clearly seen how Apple’s next handset could incorporate the so-called unibody design, which drops the back glass to adopt a metal chassis and front glass configuration. The change would mark a regression to the iPhone 3G/3GS design, in which the internal parts were placed in a rounded polycarbonate shell. The alleged chassis, however, enable a notably svelte profile not found in current iPhone models. The new part is also considerably slimmer than the metal mid-section alone in the iPhone 4 and 4S.
While the devices obviously differ in height and depth, Apple hasn’t changed the physical button layout, with the power and volume adjustment holes positioned similarly relative to the top of the iPhone when compared to the existing model. Dual-antennas on the top and bottom of the handset, which debuted in the iPhone 4S, also remained unchanged.
The leaked unit sports a much smaller SIM card tray than that featured in the iPhone 4S, meaning the two components are incompatible. The tray shown in the clip appears to be the part seen last month and could potentially fit the new nano-SIM form factor newly adopted by ETSI. At the bottom of the handset, one can see the much-discussed ‘mini dock’ placed next to revamped speaker and mic grills as well as a relocated headphone jack.
Less than a week ago, another video claimed to capture the iPhone 5 front glass. If the two components were put together, the thickness of the assembled shell is uncertain, if the two match at all. However, Apple would be able to keep displacement down by utilizing in-cell display technology. Both purported sections point to a 4-inch screen, which is in line with previous reports.
