Apple iPhone 5: Claimed Next-Gen iPhone Prototypes Surface In Bangkok With Two-Tone Design

At a time when rumors are rampant that Apple might unveil its next generation iPhone at a media event Sept 12, the tech world is also busy speculating about the new features and changes that the device is expected to bring along.

Although Apple is mum, as it has always been, over the features and specifications of the next iteration of its flagship smartphone, presumably called the "iPhone 5," tech enthusiasts around the globe already seem to have a pretty decent idea of what the device could possibly look like, thanks to several leaked parts and components surfaced over the last couple of months.

Quite interestingly, almost all sources associated with the purported iPhone 5 components have pointed to the same form factor -- a two-tone design. And a new report, surfaced Thursday, provided more evidence with images, claiming them to be of "a prototype finalized design casing of the iPhone."

The images of a non-functioning iPhone unit, posted by Neowin, were reportedly spotted in at the MBK Center in Bangkok, Thailand. The source told the website that the iPhone was not functioning, but it was a "non functional replica prototype" and was "pretty accurate too."

"The glass backing that appeared in the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S is notably absent; instead, the entire exterior is a single piece. The casing appears to feature the rumored elongated design of the new iPhone, which is said to be around 4 inches in height," said the Neowin report.

"Additionally, a new docking port appears to be in place, and the headphone jack has been moved to the bottom of the device similar to Apple's iPod line," the report added.

As iDownloadBlog noted, the authenticity of the photos cannot be confirmed at this point of time. However, the design showed in the photos did match up completely with what we have heard until now regarding the Cupertino tech giant's upcoming smartphone model.

The ongoing rumors suggest that the iPhone 5 will be powered by a much-improved processor. While some earlier reports said that that chip would be a new variant of the A5X processor, some other reports are betting on Samsung's Exynos 4 quad-core processor.

Rumors are also rife that the new iPhone would sport a larger 4-inch Retina display, 4G LTE technology, Near Field Communication (NFC), a smaller dock connector, 1GB RAM, iOS 6 and an improved Siri.

The device is also expected feature liquidmetal casing, an 8 megapixel (or even higher) rear camera, a 2 megapixel front-facing camera for video chatting and a much-improved battery life.

Meanwhile, TechCrunch reported that "a reliable source" sent a screen grab of a handset, believed to be of the next Apple iPhone, "popping up in his/her/its server logs." According to the website, the device, codenamed "iPhone 5,2," fell in line with what previous reports.

"It remains unclear if the iPhone 5,2 will go into production - as opposed to the iPhone 5,1 - or whether it will remain an internal-only test unit," the report added.