iPhone 5: China Silicone Cases Reveal Bigger and Badder Phone

If you thought U.S. Apple fans are impatient, check out the latest news coming from China. According to M.I.C Gadget, manufacturers of iPhone 5 silicone cases are now sweeping across the country in preparation of Apple's latest smartphone release.

The latest leaked accessory reveals many clues about the unreleased next generation Apple smartphone. Overall dimensions of the case shows that the iPhone 5 will be bigger, being half an inch wider and taller than the iPhone 4. Though larger in size, it appears to be slimmer and lighter weight compared to its predecessor.

The wide screen cutout tells us that an edge to edge screen display, possibly 4 inches, will be present on the new device. Another large cutout appears in the home button area where rumors have it that Apple will utilize a touch sensor track pad in addition to a home button. The longer cutout will allow users to swipe their fingers along the track pad. Lastly the camera lens and LED cutout is present though no dual LED flash cutout was visible.

Users who can't wait for the iPhone 5 can get their hands on protective silicone cases on Alibaba.com, through a 500 minimum purchase order is required.

Supporting evidence of the iPhone 5 shape and size can be seen through some leaked images in UK revealing a layout of the phone's outer casing. Consistency if found among MobileFun's image and China's cases in that the phone contains curved edges along with wide cutouts for the touchscreen display. The home button cutout area is also long and wide for the sensor pad.

One slight difference is the tapering and thinning of the phone's shape, mimicking a teardrop design. The iPhone 5 will no doubt be slim and lightweight, but the type of material the outer case will be made out of could not be determined from either images. One could speculate that it won't be a glass backing but rather aluminum in order to aesthetically match Apple's iPad and Macbooks Air products. A carbon material may also be utilized in order to offer strength, durability, and light weight.

Production is underway and shipping will happen in a matter of weeks according to reports from DigiTimes. A company working closely with Apple called Pegatron Technology is preparing for 15 million orders of Apple's iPhone 5 units which could be shipping as early as September. This would fit nicely with other rumors speculating that the highly anticipated smartphone will hit the market later this year.

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