There are conflicting reports about iPhone 5’s release date. However, an array of possible iPhone 5 features have been revealed through several sources, image leaks and estimates by analysts and industry experts.

Following is detailed look at what your spanking new iPhone 5 will look and feel like when it hits shelves in September, as some experts say, or sometime in 2012:

Edge-to-Edge Display

There is persisting rumor that iPhone 5 will have an edge-to-edge display, a feature reviled by die-hard Apple fans. This talk gained credibility with a leak showing a device with an extended display. An iPhone screenshot revealed by Nuance Technologies shows a device appearing to have an edge-to-edge screen.

If true, this underlines earlier reports that Apple was spending an amazing $4 billion on some display technology for the nee iPhone which would facilitate a much larger display on the same encasement.

In March, iDealsChina showed in its website what it said was a leaked image of the iPhone 5 phone. The handset's screen looked larger and the hardware was bigger overall.

An image published by a Chinese reseller of Apple parts showed what looked like the digitizer panel of iPhone 5. If the image is authentic then the new iPhone will have a 4 inch display but within the same encasement, made possible by a technology that extends display over to the edges of the phone.

8MP Camera, improved Flash

Another obvious conclusion is that iPhone 5 will have a 8MP camera. Apple’s iPhone 5 will catch up big time with its myriad Android rivals -- this suggestion infuriates Apple fans, for they believe iPhone is THE device and Android tribe are impostors. But truth to say, many Android OS-based smartphones already sport an 8MP camera. Hence the rumor mills effortlessly churn out one proof after the other for the next iPhone featuring an 8MP camera. At this point an 8MP camera on the iPhone 5 looks like a foregone conclusion.

Now, a CNET report appears to be more forward-looking than others. The report says iPhone 5 will have an improved flash unit for its camera. Citing industry sources, the report says Apple has reduced orders for iPhone 4's current LED flash.

NFC-Enabled iPhone 5

There have been reports since early this year that Apple is testing iPhone which incorporates Near Field Communication (NFC) technology. NFC technology will enable users to make payments by merely waving the phone near devices which can read the information embedded in the phone.

If Apple equips the next iPhone with NFC, which is considered to be the next wave that revolutionizes mobile and contactless payment technology, it will instantly come on top of the competition. Mobile-payment services using NFC will be a hot segment in the future. However, the absence of an industry standard is impeding wider integration of this feature.

Curved Glass Display

Rumors of a curved glass display on iPhone 5 have been doing the rounds ever since DigiTimes reported in May that Apple had placed an order for glass cutting machines which are capable of making curved glass covers.

3.7-inch Screen
Reports suggest that iPhone 5 will flaunt a larger 3.7-inch screen to counter the android breed, several of which flaunt this.

Fire-proof iPhone

Another rumor is that the next iPhone will be a fire-proof phone. Apple has filed a patent application for an advanced halogen-free flame retardant material which could be used in future Apple products. Patently Apple reported that the new material will be integrated into the manufacturing of Apple products like keyboards, mice, iPods, the iPad, cabling and more.

4G LTE iPhone 5

AT&T documents leaked by the hacking group LulzSec suggest that Apple iPhone 5 will offer 4G and will be LTE network compatible. LTE, or Long Term Evolution, is the latest standard in the mobile network technology and is a project of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). Most mobile carriers in the world have plans to convert their networks into LTE, or 4G as it is often called. The current generation of mobile telecommunication networks are known as 3G or third generation.

World Phone with Simless Design

It is rumored that the iPhone 5 will feature a new SIM-less design with 2 to 3 internal antennas for CDMA and GSM compatibility which will make it a worldphone. The purported world phone will make iPhone 5 available on a variety of networks across the world. In all likelihood, iPhone 5 will have an improved flash unit for its camera.

Social Networking Feature

Social networking is the flavor of the times and Apple wouldn’t want to give it a slip. With an iPhone 5 around, friend-finding is going to be a lot easier. At least it's going to be a lot less hard than arduously adding friends on Facebook and getting disillusioned over lack of compatibility.

According to the rumor mill, the iPhone 5 is going to become your portable social network. The phone analyses your habits, tastes, lifestyle, aptitudes, travels and the like and finds people who share the same bandwidth. And then it tells you if a potential friend is in the vicinity. Conversely it allows you to be found and befriended by other iPhone 5 users. The novelty of the new model of social networking is that unlike in Twitter and Facebook, people don't need to know each other to become friends.

Strong Gaming Capabilities

New rumors that float around suggest the iPhone will have strong gaming capabilities supported by multi-core A5 processor and Imagination Technologies’ PowerVR Series6 mobile graphics processing architecture. These are not confirmed, but highly probable.

Earlier in April, it was reported that Apple allowed select developers play around with an iPhone 4 which is implanted with an A5 chip rather than the A4 in order that they can bring out the full gaming prowess on the upcoming iPhone 5. Apple gave developers from gaming bigwigs a pre-taste of the gaming prowess of the iPhone 5, with a view to incorporating smashing gaming capabilities in the next generation iPhone.

Panoramic Photo Capabilities and 1080p Full HD Videos

The iPhone 5 will also reportedly have panoramic photo capabilities and 1080p Full HD videos. An iOS code section revealed recently that the next iPhone will let users take panoramic photos with the photo app.

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