The very best iPhone 5 rumours

The iPhone 5 will launch at some point in the next eight months – that’s almost a given. Whether it will be called the iPhone 5, however, is another thing entirely. It could just as easily be called the new iPhone, which would be in keeping with Apple’s most recent launch – the new iPad (AKA the iPad 3).

Either way, one thing is 99.9 per cent certain: the iPhone 5 will not look like the iPhone 4S. At least we hope it doesn’t. The ‘glass chassis’ design used on the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 4S is now over two years old. Consumers know this and are hungry for something new. Apple’s iPhone 5 has to deliver on this promise.

Another thing that’s true of nearly all Apple launches, particularly the iPhone-related ones, is that the actual device very rarely lives up the level of expectation surrounding it. In this sense it’s a bit like New Year’s Eve. But will the iPhone 5 launch be as big a disappointment as the iPhone 4S’s?

Personally we don’t think so. Last time everybody, including us, was expecting a re-designed iPhone called the iPhone 5. Instead we got the iPhone 4S and Siri. Now we’re not saying the iPhone 4S is a bad – it wasn’t. In fact it was one of the best devices of last year, hence our 4.5 out of 5 star review. It was still a dull launch though.

Rumours have been flying around since before the iPhone 4S launched about what the iPhone 5 would entail. They've carried on since and most, as you’d expect, have included stuff that was missing from the iPhone 4S but there were some absolute corkers. Here’s a break down of our favourites.

No ‘Home’ button
Can you imagine an iPhone without a Home button key? No, neither can we – but this is one of the most persistent rumours of all. It started in the run up to the launch of what would turn out to be the iPhone 4S. According to reports, Apple was working on a completely gesture-based user interface. Obviously this didn’t happen with the iPhone 4S – but could it make an appearance on the iPhone 5?

Don’t count on it.

12-megapixel imaging capabilities
Will Apple update the camera aboard the iPhone 5 this time around, or will it just keep the same set-up that it’s got on the iPhone 4S and its new iPad? Personally we can’t see it happening, especially when you remember just how good the one on the iPhone 4S is.

Of course HTC has raised the bar with its One X, One V and One S handsets, which allow for the capture of images that are almost as good as a mid-range compact. But this still shouldn’t be enough to worry Apple.

So while a big camera update would be nice, it’s not exactly necessary given what the majority of the competition is doing and just how capable the iPhone 4S’ current setup still is. For this reason we think the likelihood of a 12-megapixel shooter aboard the iPhone 5 is completely out of the question.

Edge-to-edge curved display
The iPhone 5 should have a bigger display than the current 3.5-inch Retina Display that’s used on the iPhone 4/4S. This is almost a given in that Apple has fallen somewhat behind the curve in the old display size department – it’s one area where the iPhone really shows its age.

Some speculative reports online have claimed that the iPhone 5 will feature a 4.x-inch edge-to-edge curved glass display. Now we don’t dispute the size change but we’re not convinced about the idea of a curved panel. It would look like Apple was copying Samsung and Nokia – and that’s not a good look.

Not that we’d object to an iPhone 5 handset with an edge-to-edge Retina Display constructed from curved glass. It just doesn’t seem all that likely given Apple’s track record.