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Photos of Bare iPhone 5S Logic Board Surface, Slightly Narrower Than iPhone 5 Board [Updated]

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As noted by Mac Otakara, Japanese parts firm Moumantai has posted three photos of what may be the bare logic board from the iPhone 5S. Unsurprisingly, the shape of the board is nearly identical to that of the iPhone 5 logic board, although it appears to have a slightly different curve along the bottom edge where the logic board would meet the speaker enclosure.

iphone_5s_5_logic_boards_front.jpg
Front of claimed iPhone 5S logic board compared to iFixit's iPhone 5 logic board photo​
Few details can be obtained from the part, as there are no chips or other components attached to the board, although it does contain a somewhat different placement of screw holes and a tweaked chip layout. The main A-series chip appears as if it will be slightly larger in area than the A6 seen in the iPhone 5, as it takes up a greater width of the logic board.

iphone_5s_5_logic_board_rear.jpg
Rear of claimed iPhone 5S logic board compared to iFixit's iPhone 5 logic board photo​
Apple's iPhone 5S is expected to launch later this year, perhaps around the September timeframe. Following Apple's pattern of two-year body style cycles, the iPhone 5S will reportedly appear very similar to the iPhone 5 and focus on internal improvements. One differentiating feature may, however, be a fingerprint sensor, which is rumored to be location on or near the device's home button.

Update 8:32 AM: As noted in our forums by chrmjenkins, the logic board may actually be slightly narrower than on the iPhone 5, meaning that the main A-series chip may be the same size as the A6 in the iPhone 5.
I think the logic board has gotten narrower. Notice how the A6 has room for a triple row of caps to its left? The new logic board only has room for a single row (caps being placed longways, granted). Also, the back of the iPhone 5 logic board has the Hynix memory module spanning the whole board. Now since the board is thinner, it's been forced to rotate 90 degrees to fit since it's longer than it is wide.
Click to expand...

Article Link: Photos of Bare iPhone 5S Logic Board Surface, Slightly Narrower Than iPhone 5 Board [Updated]
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2013/06/17/photos-of-bare-iphone-5s-logic-board-surface-with-space-for-larger-main-chip/
litmag01

litmag01

macrumors 6502
Jul 16, 2009
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Could also be a smaller board with same chip size.


MacRumors said:
The main A-series chip appears as if it will be slightly larger in area than the A6 seen in the iPhone 5, as it takes up a greater width of the logic board.
Click to expand...
 
Bhatu

Bhatu

macrumors regular
Apr 1, 2013
171
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Samsung should get back to work now! :cool:
 
Last edited:
V

vmachiel

macrumors 68000
Feb 15, 2011
1,772
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Holland
Why do we need quad core? Those swift cores in A6 are a great balance in power and battery life I think.

We'll see I guess
 
chrmjenkins

chrmjenkins

macrumors 603
Oct 29, 2007
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Lots of possibilities here. Assuming they're moving to 28nm, it definitely means they're adding stuff if it's getting bigger.

Possibilities:
  • Rogue family GPU. Die size is unknown for this family so it may well be a reason for increase.
  • Quad core. Apple may have optimized iOS 7 and its APIs for a true quad core environment.
  • Shadow core. Apple could be implementing a Tegra-like solution with a simplified, slower core that powers up to take care of simple tasks like notifications. Only when the user is fully using the phone do the faster cores turn on.
  • big.LITTLE. This is kind of like the shadow core, except it's an actual ARM concept supported directly in their architecture and ISA. Since swift cores are custom, it would be a little different for apple, but it may still be possible for them to use two A7 cores (custom or not) to match their Swift cores for low power operation. It's also possible they've adapted a single A7 core into a shadow core. (*currently ARM's big.LITTLE concept requires the number of A7 cores to match the number of main cores, which is why there is an octa core Samsung Exynos part. Apple may or may not try to break from this restriction)
  • Custom circuitry. The redesigned A5 for the appleTV had a lot of custom analog circuitry. It's possible Apple could be going even more custom on the A7 design, which could cause a size increase. They could also be moving off component chips on chip to reduce the overall number of components on the board.

All that being said, I think the premise of the article is wrong. I think the logic board has gotten narrower. Notice how the A6 has room for a triple row of caps to its left? The new logic board only has room for a single row (caps being placed longways, granted). Also, the back of the iPhone 5 logic board has the Hynix memory module spanning the whole board. Now since the board is thinner, it's been forced to rotate 90 degrees to fit since it's longer than it is wide.
 
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J

Jsameds

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Apr 22, 2008
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ben824 said:
Who cares, it will be running iOS 7 which is garbage! #BoycottiOS7
Click to expand...

Weird, I'm sure Apple made improvements in virtually every single aspect of iOS 7 over iOS 6, and I'm also sure I logged into MacRumors, not twitter.

Must be my computer playing up. Restarting now...
 
T

Thunderhawks

Suspended
Feb 17, 2009
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ben824 said:
Who cares, it will be running iOS 7 which is garbage! #BoycottiOS7
Click to expand...

You may want to apply for a job at Apple and show them how it's done!

I am assuming you created something groundbreaking already, which makes you feel entitled to rip
the work of other creative people?

ios7 will be the fastest adapted OS ever for Apple, says this analyst.
 
Rogifan

Rogifan

macrumors Penryn
Nov 14, 2011
24,124
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Jsameds said:
Weird, I'm sure Apple made improvements in virtually every single aspect of iOS 7 over iOS 6, and I'm also sure I logged into MacRumors, not twitter.

Must be my computer playing up. Restarting now...
Click to expand...

Haha amazing to see how many people now seem to care about form over function when usually they're complaining about Apple doing the same thing. For me quick access to common settings and better multitasking > design of app icons.
 
A

appleisking

macrumors 6502a
May 24, 2013
658
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ben824 said:
Who cares, it will be running iOS 7 which is garbage! #BoycottiOS7
Click to expand...

I know it's probably hard to tell the difference, but this is not twitter. If ios7 is complete garbage then why the hell do you own a product with ios6, which is worse in every aspect.
 
Tankmaze

Tankmaze

macrumors 68000
Mar 7, 2012
1,707
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rei101 said:
For what? iMaps?
Click to expand...

A wise man once said "640K ought to be enough for anyone." :rolleyes:

Never say never, quad core with the right multitasking & optimization to balance battery life can really be a wonderful experience.
 
krspkbl

krspkbl

macrumors 68020
Jul 20, 2012
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I'm excited to see parts surface leading up to the 5S release. I've missed this! I'm still rocking my white 32GB 4S! Such a reliable device but I think it's time to upgrade to 5S.

I hope they lower the price OR keep the same price points and get rid of 16GB models and introduce 128GB models so it's: 32GB/64GB/128GB.

Really looking forward to changing my signature to "iPhone 5S (Black - 32GB) - 7.0"
 
J

Jsameds

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Apr 22, 2008
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Rogifan said:
Haha amazing to see how many people now seem to care about form over function when usually they're complaining about Apple doing the same thing. For me quick access to common settings and better multitasking > design of app icons.
Click to expand...

Agreed. Whilst the new icons aren't really my cup of tea, I'm sure that a) They will evolve from what we see now to the final master release and b) By that time they will probably have grown on me anyway.

When I first saw the leaked iPhone 5 I thought 'Urgh', but by the time it came out I was used to it, and weirdly by that time the reverse effect was true - the 3.5" display of old looked somewhat 'squashed'.

It's amazing how the mind works.
 
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