Skip to main content

The new iPhone will be thinner, lighter, and 25 million strong

iphone-5-concept-teardrop
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Apple is gearing up to launch the iPhone 5 (or is it the iPhone 4S?) in the next few months, reports the Wall Street Journal. The hardware maker has placed orders for “key components” in its next generation iPhone, which should launch sometime in the third quarter of 2011 (likely Sept.). Unsurprisingly, the new phone will be both thinner than the iPhone 4 and lighter as well, with an 8MP camera to boot. Sales are expected to be swift as well, with 25 million units being built in 2011 alone. For reference, the iPhone 4 sold a little more than 18 million units last quarter.

“Apple’s sales estimates of the new iPhone is quite aggressive,” an anonymous Apple supplier told the WSJ. “It told us to prepare to help the company meet its goal of 25 million units by the end of the year. The initial production volume will be a few million units… we were told to ship the components to assembler Hon Hai in August.”

Recommended Videos

Hon Hai is the Taiwanese manufacturer that assembles Apple’s phones and will be dealing with some changes. A few component vendors are being switched out for the iPhone 5 as well as Apple moves its wireless baseband chips from Infineon Technologies to Qualcomm. There is no word whether Apple will continue using Samsung components in the iPhone 5, though the bad blood between the two companies suggests that Jobs may have moved on. The changes in design and parts may not be a good thing, as Hon Hai representatives say the company is having a tough time producing enough next generation iPhones to meet Apple’s goals due to the new design being “complicated and difficult to assemble.”

“The touch-screen devices are so thin,” said Hon Hai Chairman Terry Gou at the company’s annual general meeting last month. “It’s really difficult to install so many components into the iPhones and iPads. We hope to raise the yield rate and volume in the second half which will help improve our gross margin.”

The image at the top of this article shows one potential design of the new phone. Previous rumors have hinted that the next iPhone will have a “teardrop” shape and a 4-inch screen.

Jeffrey Van Camp
As DT's Deputy Editor, Jeff helps oversee editorial operations at Digital Trends. Previously, he ran the site's…
iPhone 17 price looks more certain to rise for first time since the iPhone 12
Apple might be preparing its first iPhone price increase in five years
iPhone 16 Pro Max next to the 16 Plus, 16 Pro and regular iPhone 16

For years now, Apple has launched the base model iPhone at $799 - but in 2025, more and more signs are pointing towards prices being increased for the introduction of the iPhone 17.

The likelihood of an iPhone 17 price increase was raised by the Wall Street Journal in May, and now Counterpoint Research notes in its recent 2025 shipment forecast that "cost increases are expected to be passed on to consumers" by not only Apple, but Samsung as well.

Read more
Why you shouldn’t care what number Apple puts on your iPhone’s software
The Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max's screen.

One number may change to another number at an important industry event on June 9, and despite some of the headlines that have been circulating around the news, this succinct explanation of what may happen allows you to guage its real importance. Apparently, Apple may use the WWDC 2025 keynote presentation to announce a change from the expected iOS 19 software’s name to iOS 26, and here’s why you shouldn’t worry about it. 

Many people won’t even know

Read more
20 iPhones elevate Danny Boyle’s 28 Years Later scene
A camera rig with 20 iPhones being used to shoot part of 28 Years Later.

We already know that the iPhone is a versatile piece of kit with a powerful camera capable of capturing highly impressive video.

That quality, coupled with the phone’s small size compared to conventional movie cameras, has been inspiring a growing number of filmmakers to use Apple’s handset for at least some of the shots in their grand productions.

Read more