Leaked Photo Shows Partially Assembled iPhone 4S/5 Components with A5 Chip

Late last month, we reported on photos of what appeared to be the logic board for the iPhone 4S or 5, showing a form factor for the board more similar in appearance to the CDMA iPhone 4 than the GSM iPhone 4, as well as space for Apple's rectangular A5 system-on-a-chip.

iphone logic board a5
phoneArena.com now points to a new image that has surfaced on Chinese microblogging site Weibo appearing to show that same logic board with all chips in place and at least partially assembled. A connection to what appears to be a white iPhone 4-like front panel/LCD display is visible, as are a battery and several other flex cables from the device.

The image clearly shows an A5 chip, which is of course expected for the iPhone 5. There has been some debate, however, about whether Apple will be introducing an iPhone 4-like model that has been unofficially dubbed the iPhone 4S, a redesigned iPhone 5, or both. If Apple does indeed release both an iPhone 4S and an iPhone 5, an A5 chip in the lower-level iPhone 4S would be a significant inclusion given that Apple has typically chosen to offer versions of its previous-generation models and technologies as its entry-level devices.

The battery included in the leaked photo is also generating some conversation, as it appears to be the same model number is seen in previous photos, but carries slightly different specs. Earlier photos had shown the battery offering 3.7 V and 5.3 Whr, for a charge capacity of about 1430 mAh. For comparison, the current iPhone 4 battery checks in at 3.7 V and 5.25 Whr, offering 1420 mAh of charge.

This new photo appears to have the charge of 1430 mAh stamped directly on it, but curiously seems to list the voltage at 4.2 V. It is unclear exactly why the battery seems to be reporting a different voltage, and thus a different energy close to 6 Whr to reach the same 1430 mAh charge seen in earlier photos of the same part.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, and AirPods 4

Thursday November 13, 2025 11:35 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3, the AirPods 4, and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 firmware is 8B21, all up from the prior 8A358 firmware released in October. There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 4 with ANC, and AirPods Pro 3...
Tim Cook WWDC 2018

Report: Tim Cook to Step Down as Apple CEO 'as Soon as Next Year'

Saturday November 15, 2025 2:40 pm PST by
Apple is preparing for Tim Cook to step down as CEO of the company "as soon as next year," according to the Financial Times. The company's board of directors and senior executives "recently intensified preparations for Cook to hand over the reins," the report said. While the report said that Apple is unlikely to name a new CEO before its next earnings report in late January, it went on to ...
iPhone Pocket Short

iPhone Pocket Now Available to Order, But Already Selling Out

Friday November 14, 2025 6:20 am PST by
Apple recently teamed up with Japanese fashion brand ISSEY MIYAKE to create the iPhone Pocket, a limited-edition knitted accessory designed to carry an iPhone. iPhone Pocket is available to order on Apple's online store starting today, in the United States, France, China, Italy, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and the United Kingdom. However, it is already completely sold out in the United...
apple silicon mac lineup 2024 feature purple m5

Apple's 2026 Mac Plans

Friday November 14, 2025 3:23 pm PST by
Most of Apple's Macs are slated to get M5 chips across 2026, and there's a possibility we'll even see the first M6 chips toward the end of the year. Updates are planned for everything from the MacBook Air to the Mac Studio. MacBook Air (Early 2026) The MacBook Air will be one of the first Macs to get a 2026 refresh, with an update planned for the first few months of the year. The MacBook...
best early black friday deals

Best Black Friday Apple Deals Live Now - Save on AirPods, iPads, and Apple Watches

Saturday November 15, 2025 1:45 pm PST by
We're officially in the month of Black Friday, which will take place on Friday, November 28 in 2025. As always, this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When ...
tvOS 26 Profiles

tvOS 26.2 Adds a Useful New Feature to Your Apple TV

Friday November 14, 2025 10:02 am PST by
Starting with the upcoming tvOS 26.2 update, currently in beta, additional profiles created on the Apple TV no longer require their own Apple Account. In the Settings app on the Apple TV, under Profiles and Accounts, anyone can create a new profile by simply entering a name and indicating whether the profile is for a kid. The profile will be associated with the primary user's Apple Account,...
walmart new ornametns

Walmart Black Friday Deals Begin Today With Low Prices on Headphones, TVs, and More

Friday November 14, 2025 7:55 am PST by
Walmart's Black Friday sale has officially kicked off today, with an online shopping event that's also seeing some matching deals in retail locations. There are quite a few major discounts in this sale, including savings on headphones, TVs, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Walmart. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us...
CarPlay Pinned Messages

iOS 26.2 Adds New CarPlay Setting

Thursday November 13, 2025 6:48 am PST by
iOS 26 extended pinned conversations in the Messages app to CarPlay, for quick access to your most frequent chats. However, some drivers may prefer the classic view with a list of individual conversations only, and Apple now lets users choose. Apple released the second beta of iOS 26.2 this week, and it introduces a new CarPlay setting for turning off pinned conversations in the Messages...
CarPlay Liquid Glass Dark

Here's When Tesla is Expected to Add Support for Apple CarPlay

Sunday November 16, 2025 6:49 am PST by
In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reiterated that Tesla plans to add Apple CarPlay support to its vehicles "in the coming months." This is easily the biggest news for the regular version of CarPlay in years, should Tesla actually follow through with offering the system in its vehicles. As noted by Gurman, this would be a stunning reversal for Tesla and its CEO Elon ...

Top Rated Comments

HarryKeogh Avatar
185 months ago
What an ugly phone. Too industrial-looking. Someone bring Steve back.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Cod3rror Avatar
185 months ago
I imagine there will be a lot of disappointed people if iPhone 4S is THE iPhone for 2011.

Personally though, I wouldn't really mind an iPhone 4 shape for another year, it's really a fantastic design.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
trudderham Avatar
185 months ago
Hmm, I overlayed the outline of the iPhone 4 over this image. Looks like the screen is higher and wider:



Interesting how smaller the bezel is, especially at the top.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BornAgainMac Avatar
185 months ago
If it looks like that, I wouldn't buy that junk. :D
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SirOmega Avatar
185 months ago
A change from 3.7V to 4.2V would probably indicate a change of chemistry. Different Li-ion chemistries have different nominal voltages. That said, 6Wh is pretty beefy for a cell phone battery. Makes you wonder if they're going to go LTE and the larger battery is there to compensate for any additional battery drain.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
theperipheral Avatar
185 months ago
"Stupidly upgraded"? Question, did you buy both the 3G and the 3GS?

The vast majority of people around the world that rely on carrier subsidies (let alone the ones that actually pay directly) are on a 2 year or more upgrade cycle. Why would they bring out a completely new case design every year?

Also: Really? A new case design is the one thing that can push you into an early upgrade? Funny, I used to think the naysayers were wrong about Apple fanboys only being in it for the looks & social status.

I have absolutely no idea why people use the 3G - 3GS example to compare this situation to. The 3G was the AIDS of iPhones. It was pretty much a redesigned original iPhone. If Hitler was alive, and I was his captor and he wanted to make a phone call, I wouldn't even allow HIM to use that piece of garbage.

The 3GS was better in literally EVERY WAY, and it needed to be. It was finally fast, it had voice control features, better battery life, more oil resistant screen, better camera, compass (which changed the way that maps worked, which was awesome), etc...so many awesome upgrades.

If the 4S is all we're getting, we are getting an upgraded processor and a better camera. The problem is that at this point, neither of those things matter anymore. The camera on the 4 is perfect. It takes awesome shots, and the resolution isn't so high that every shot takes up half of the memory in the phone. The speed can EASILY handle iOS5...the 3GS can even handle iOS5 perfectly well.

That is why a 4S is a horrible idea. It offers absolutely nothing to people using the iPhone 4 (who at this point are DEFINITELY available for an EARLY UPGRADE at least, and a lot are, like me, available for a FULL UPGRADE), which means that anybody with a version of the iPhone before the 4, really doesn't have any reason to upgrade to anything but the 4.

It IS stupid for Apple to do a 4S. If they do, like me, thousands of customers will tell Apple to smoke them and Apple will lose out on millions of dollars in revenue.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)