Recap of iPhone 5’s Rumored Specs Ahead of Its Release (PHOTOS)

Apple's most anticipated iPhone 5, safe to say, has broken all kinds of records when talking about rumors surrounding the device.

iPhone 5 has been making rounds on the Internet with different rumored specs and concept images from different Web sites and blogs for the past few months. Now, the smartphone is expected to arrive in October, according to various sources.

Citing an Apple employee, New York Times earlier reported that iPhone 5 was weeks away from being announced. Another report from TechCrunch, with comments from France Telecom Chief Executive Officer Stephane Richard, said that the iPhone 5 would come out on Oct. 15.

The most recent report, however, came from 9to5Mac, which is similar to that of consumer electronics retailer Best Buy. The report said that the next-generation iPhone is expected to be released in the first week of October, probably on Oct. 7.

According to a Boy Genius report, Sprint has not allowed its employees to take any vacation time from Sept. 30 to Oct. 15 for the launch of iPhone 5.

Here's a quick look at all the rumored iPhone 5 specs that have made rounds on the Internet till date.

One of the most talked about features of the device was its design. Apple has always been known for focusing more on its device’s design than anything else. iPhone 5 is rumored to sport a teardrop design and is expected to be slimmer and lighter than previous iPhone models.

The device, that was rumored to sport a metallic back, could also arrive with a curved glass panel as Apple, previously, was said to buy 300 glass cutting machines. Other reports said that the device would arrive with an aluminum plate casing and not with the traditional glass backing.

A recent Web page that posted images of iPhone 5 and 4S was pulled down by Case-Mate. The page suggested that the device would arrive with revolutionary changes and that two Apple may release two phones. Many analysts also predicted that the next iPhone will arrive in two avatars.

Apart from the device’s design, the other most popular rumor which took everyone by surprise was the omission of a physical home button. The rumor mill said that Steve Jobs, himself, didn’t want any physical buttons on iPhone from the beginning. Recent speculations, however, have suggested that iPhone 5 may arrive with a rectangular home button.

iPhone 5's camera specification is one area where every Web site has agreed. The smartphone is expected to arrive with a better dual-LED 8 MP rear camera with 1080p video playback and panoramic photo capture capability.

According to a previous CNET report, iPhone 5 is expected to arrive with an improved flash unit for its camera. Apart from the rear facing camera, a front-facing one is also expected for video chatting. Another rumor suggested that the flash unit would be separated from the camera sensor.

There are, however, no real speculations about the arrival of the next generation iOS 5 as it was previously announced at the WWDC 2011 keynote address on June 6. The new OS will deliver about 200 new features including iMessage, an improved Notification system and Newsstand. The new iCloud service is also expected to debut that will operate iTunes. This will provide wireless remote access of music anywhere. It will also store apps, calendars, photos and other documents.

To counter the growing threat from brands such as Motorola and Samsung who have already introduced dual-core processor phones, Apple, reportedly, Apple gave its developers a dual-core iPhone 4 to allow them to prepare for the upcoming iPhone 5.

The rumors suggested that the new device will sport a fast 1.2-to-1.5 GHz dual-core A5 processor chip, which currently powers the iPad 2, and a probability of a 1GB RAM. Lighter hardware parts are also expected to reduce the smartphone’s weight. A Broadcom BCM4330 chipset could be incorporated for the device’s Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capabilities.

However, out of other things, it is all but certain that iPhone 5 will not have 4G support. Peter Misek, an analyst at Jefferies & Co., said that Apple would not release a 4G LTE capability in iPhone 5 this year because Qualcomm's LTE chipsets, which Apple would have used, were not attaining the yields that Apple expects for its iPhone 5.

It is also uncertain if Apple will go forward with implementing NFC (Near Field Communication). The technology will help users pay for goods by simply waving their iPhone in front of a contactless payment scanner. The Independent, previously, said that Apple would sacrifice NFC in its next iPhone due to lack of industry standards about the technology.

Analysts, however, at Jefferies expect Apple to launch another iPhone, which will likely be named the iPhone 5S, in 2012, and will have an NFC payment feature.