Apple iPhone 5 to sport 4” screen, aluminum back, redesigned antenna and A5 chip

With the iPad 2 announcement now behind us, it’s time to start focusing on Apple’s next big release – the iPhone 5. Over the past few months, rumors surrounding Apple’s next-gen iPhone have been few and far in between, but the rumors that have surfaced are quite intriguing. From an NFC capable device to an entirely new form factor with a 4-inch screen, Apple appears to have something big in the works come June. Indeed, even publications like the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times – papers Apple often uses to ‘leak’ information – have intimated that the iPhone 5 will be a significant departure from the iPhone 4.

Taiwanese-based Economic Daily News relays that Apple will be doing away with the glass back employed on the iPhone 4 and instead will opt for an aluminum casing, much like the original iPhone. The purported impetus behind the design change had to do with complaints Apple received about scratching on the iPhone 4 and the well-known issues Apple experienced in trying to manufacture the white iPhone 4. Remember, the white iPhone 4 was initially supposed to drop alongside the black iPhone 4 before being delayed over and over again reportedly due to problems involving color consistency.

Also slated to appear in the iPhone 5 is the speedy A5 chip Apple showcased in the iPad 2 last week. Further more, the report notes that the iPhone 5 antenna will be redesigned and will be located behind the Apple logo on the back, marking an end to the source of much scrutiny on the iPhone 4.

The iPhone is costumed to seeing a June-July release date, so anybody wanting to upgrade their handset should be patient. I expect that the iPhone 5 will be released simultaneously on AT&T and Verizon.