Apple is said to be preparing a lower cost iPhone for later this year, with a plastic shell instead of its typical recipe of metal and glass to lower component costs. Now a site called Techdy, which creates Android knock-off handsets of higher-end devices, is claiming to have obtained the new phone’s plastic casing and front-screen assembly.
The supposed early manufacturing prototype leak shows a smooth plastic shell in white that Techdy says feels much higher-quality than the plastic casings used in phones by other manufacturers like Samsung. The front resembles the screen of the iPhone we all know and love and has a black design that will reportedly be common to a variety of different color options for the back plastic half.
The slightly contoured edges on the rear of this supposed budget iPhone are very much reminiscent of the current-generation iPod touch – essentially, this looks like a slightly thicker version, which makes sense given the additional room required for cellular antennas, ambient light sensors and other components. Apple brought expanded color options to the iPod touch with this generation, so that could have been in preparation for launching a line of lower cost iPhones with similar design themes.
Comparison shots taken of the iPhone 5 with the leaked plastic iPhone case shows a design that’s only just slightly thicker than the current existing Apple smartphone. The screen size is the same, and among the only other significant outward differences is the use of just one speaker grill on the bottom edge of the device instead of two.
Techdy is marketing an Android-powered clone of the device already, so definitely take this with a grain of salt. But it is in keeping with what we’ve heard about a supposed low-cost iPhone in the past, and that right there is definitely an attractive device. If Apple can manage to release a plastic iPhone for cheaper than its flagship that feels and looks better than the top-end designs of its rivals, we could see a very different smartphone game come later this year. There is lots more to see in the massive gallery Techdy put together depicting the supposed iPhone from every possible angle, so be sure to check it out.