Apple iPhone 5 Components Sell In China For $199: How Legitimate Is The Listing?

Apple fans can't wait to get their hands on the iPhone 5, Apple's sixth-generation smartphone believed to finally debut and hit stores next month. But for those who can't wait for the finalized product, China GadgetLand is selling what it claims to be a full "iPhone 5" set, complete with an LCD screen and digitizer assembly, for just $199. (Update: Out of stock)

Obviously, this is nothing close to the finished product, but there's a great chance this is a true prototype. Many of the alleged specs and features align with what's been previously reported, and the images look identical to the convincing photos posted this past weekend by UbreakIfix.

China GadgetLand says its complete iPhone 5 set comes with an a 4-inch LCD screen with a 1136 x 640 resolution, a built-in touchscreen, a digitizer, and spare and replacement parts for the LCD screen and touchscreen.

However, even though this is likely a chance to get an early version of the iPhone 5's shell, it's likely nothing more than a cool piece of memorabilia to own - especially considering how this iPhone has probably been the most-leaked iPhone ever. It's also roughly half the starting price of a new iPhone ($299), and it will probably be worth more as the years go by, compared to the actual phones themselves. Hey, at least it's not $800, right?

How Legitimate Are The Components?

According to the batches of images released by Apple's supply chains and repair shops, we expect the iPhone to feature a bigger, thinner front plate that stretches the screen just beyond four inches to achieve a 16:9 resolution ratio to watch 1080p HD videos in a widescreen format. The iPhone 5's alleged screen would also feature a 1136 x 640 pixel display.

Looking at the front and rear plates being sold by China GadgetLand, the prototype appears to match the above specifications.

Since ChinaGadgetLand only shows the front and rear of the phone, we can only examine those features; however, a few of them do line up well.

According to previous reports, prototypes and images, Apple has migrated the FaceTime camera to be directly above the earpiece, readjusted the size of the home button, and introduced a new camera opening on the backside of the phone between the camera lens and the LED flash, which likely houses a small microphone. Finally, we believe Apple has fixed its iPhone 5 with a unibody metal back instead of an all-glass facade, which houses the logic board and other interior components, that could also potentially improve call reception.

The images provided by China GadgetLand show a new camera above the earpiece, and we'll assume that the hole next to the earpiece is for the camera's migrated light sensor. The sticker on the front side's top left corner hints at the NFC chip (more on that here), but when looking at the backside of the phone, the back is not metal and it's impossible to tell if any components have shifted, or if this model features the alleged second microphone.

We can't see if this product has redesigned speaker grills or a smaller dock connector, but by and large, this iPhone looks to line up with most previous reports of the phone.

Your Thoughts

What do you think? Would you buy iPhone 5 components just to sell them at a future date? Do you plan on buying the iPhone 5 for what it looks like, or its alleged features? Hit us back in the comments section below.