What to expect from the new Apple iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C

Which new iPhone features will Tim Cook unveil on September 10?

Earlier this month, billionaire investor Carl Icahn’s tweet made Apple’s stock go bananas.

Shares rocketed by $17bn in less than two hours after Icahn tweeted: “We currently have a large position in Apple. We believe the company to be extremely undervalued”

At the time of the tweet – around 1pm – Apple’s market cap stood at $472bn. By 4pm it had hit $489bn – a rise of 4.75%. Apple’s market cap had risen by $171m every minute until the market closed.

We currently have a large position in APPLE. We believe the company to be extremely undervalued. Spoke to Tim Cook today. More to come.

— Carl Icahn (@Carl_C_Icahn) August 13, 2013

This was exactly the kind of stimulus the tech goliath needed after Samsung crunched Apple in the battle of mobile phones in January and the iPhone 5 was named the most-hated phone in the world.

What may make Apple’s stock even juicier now is its impending new iPhone launch. The rumour mill is churning at full speed that Apple will unveil its latest iPhone as early as September 10.

By now you all know that Apple CEO Tim Cook is planning to launch two phones: iPhone 5S, an upgraded iPhone 5, and a cheaper iPhone called iPhone 5C.

But what are they going to look like? Here’s our pick of the best rumours:

1. iPhone 5C – a cheaper, plastic-cased & scratch-resistant phone

The iPhone 5C is expected to replace iPhone 4 and 4S. It will supposedly come with a plastic casing instead of a glass and aluminium cover. It may come without features like Siri voice control, hence the cheaper price.

Benedict Evans of Enders Analysis says it will be priced between $200 and $300. However, UBS and Morgan Stanley analysts expect it to be priced at $399.

The phone case is predicted to be scratch-resistant. There are videos showing reporters trying and failing to scratch the plastic case with keys, nails and safety clips.

 

2. The iPhone 5S will include a 64-bit A7 processor, making it 31% faster than the iPhone 5

On Sunday, Fox News Channel anchor Clayton Morris tweeted: “Sources are telling me the new iPhone’s A7 chip is running at about 31% faster than A6. I’m hearing it’s very fast.”

Tech site 9to5Mac reported that Apple is testing 64-bit A7 processors in its prototypes. If this is true, then the new iPhone 5S will be able to give a “much better performance per watt” and will be able to “handle animated graphics more smoothly”.

Sources are telling me the new iPhone’s A7 chip is running at about 31% faster than A6. I’m hearing it’s very fast.

— Clayton Morris (@ClaytonMorris) August 25, 2013

 

3. iPhone 5S: Slow-motion camera called ‘Mogul mode’

The new phone will come with a slow-motion camera that will help users to film video at the highest levels of detail and resolution. Shooting in ‘Mogul mode’ would mean recording video at 120 frames per second (FPS) compared to 30 FPS in the current iPhone 5.

 

4. Click! iPhone 5S will have a dual LED flash for better photos

The new iPhone 5S is expected to come with a dual LED flash that will help you take better photos and let you click away in places with dim lighting. Chinese tech blogs have published photos purportedly revealing the plastic casing for the double flash, such as the image above.

 

5. The new iPhone 5S to come with biometric fingerprint scanner (in your face, phone thieves)

The new iPhone 5S will come with a fingerprint scanner on the Home button, rendering the phone nothing a piece of scrap metal for thieves.

The buzz around this new feature is supported by Apple forking out $366m last year for AuthenTec, which produces hardware for fingerprint sensors.

 

6. iPhone 5S to come in gold

For those Apple lovers who are bored of the black and white colours, it’s time to rejoice. There are photos doing rounds that show Apple’s upcoming iPhone 5S in a champagne gold colour.  

 

7. Bonus rumour: Old for new – the iPhone trade-in programme

According to tech new sites 9to5mac and MacRumours, Apple is planning to offer an scheme wherein customers can exchange their old iPhone for a newer model at a discounted price.

Store staff have already been given training to assist customers with this trade-in scheme.

According to TechCrunch, the range for the exchange is around $120-200 (£77-129) for 16GB iPhone 4 and 4S models, depending on factors like physical damage.

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