Parts and repair firm iResQ has been slowly building its own iPhone 5 as parts have been coming in, as shown in yesterday's photos revealing the battery installed into the rear shell alongside several other components such as the dock connector/headphone jack flex cable, external buttons flex cable, and the rear camera assembly.
iResQ has now added a front panel to the mix, providing a good overall look at the iPhone 5 with several closeup photos. The assembly is of course non-functional, as it is missing the logic board and several other components, but nearly all of the externally-visible features are in place.
Perhaps most notable is one closeup side-on shot showing the iPhone 5 laying next to an iPhone 4S on a table. The photo shows that the iPhone 5 is indeed substantially thinner than the iPhone 4S, by approximately the thickness of either the front or rear glass of the iPhone 4S. Apple's move toward thinner body components and a thinner distribution of internal components enabled by the larger surface area due to the 4-inch screen of the iPhone 5 have allowed the company to substantially shrink the device's overall thickness. Previous reports have pegged the iPhone 5 thickness at 7.6 mm, 18% thinner than the iPhone 4S at 9.3 mm.
Apple is expected to introduce the iPhone 5 at its media event scheduled for next Wednesday, September 12.
Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld.
The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld.
Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
Thursday February 5, 2026 12:54 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple turns 50 this year, and its CEO Tim Cook has promised to celebrate the milestone. The big day falls on April 1, 2026.
"I've been unusually reflective lately about Apple because we have been working on what do we do to mark this moment," Cook told employees today, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "When you really stop and pause and think about the last 50 years, it makes your heart ...
Friday February 6, 2026 3:06 pm PST by Juli Clover
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do.
The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up.
Upgraded Architecture
The next-generation...
Saturday February 7, 2026 9:26 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple today shared an ad that shows how the upgraded Center Stage front camera on the latest iPhones improves the process of taking a group selfie.
"Watch how the new front facing camera on iPhone 17 Pro takes group selfies that automatically expand and rotate as more people come into frame," says Apple. While the ad is focused on the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, the regular iPhone...
Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by Joe Rossignol
While the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate is now available ahead of a public release, the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April.
Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far.
iOS 26.3
iPhone to Android Transfer Tool
iOS 26.3 makes it easier...
I can reduce the thickness of my iPhone 4 to that of the iPhone 5 by simply removing the back panel :/ There's barely any structure added by the back panel in the first place. I'm sure the iPhone 5 has Something Neat about its new construction, but the difference in thickness doesn't really seem all that impressive.