A Guide to iPhone 5

The delays which hit the iPhone 5 and pushed it back from the usual summer launch spot may actually have heightened expectations further for Apple`s latest smartphone. As its Autumn release window approaches there are plenty of leaks and rumours which give clues as to what users can expect from the fifth iPhone handset. Here is a quick overview of what you might find once Steve Jobs and Co unveil it to the world.

Firstly the hardware of the iPhone 5 is proving to be the biggest bone of contention for industry insiders. Some believe that the new iPhone will be little more than a revised, polished version of the iPhone 4, perhaps being labelled as the iPhone 4S after the 3GS of 2009. Others think that the iPhone Five will be a completely new piece of kit which looks and behaves distinctly from its predecessors.

There is some agreement on the fact that the iPhone 5 will probably have a dual core processor from the A54 family. The iPad 2 features such a chip and all of the rivals to the iPhone 5 will use two physical cores, so Apple would be daft to omit this feature. Many also expect the iPhone 5 to have an updated camera, increasing the sensor resolution from five megapixels to eight and adding support for full HD 1080p video capture.

The 3.5 inch screen size has been consistent across all previous iPhone models. While the iPhone 4 drastically increased the resolution with its Retina Display, it retained the same dimensions to ensure that there was some consistency between each edition. Now there are expectations that the iPhone 5 will actually have a larger display, perhaps between 3.7 and 4.0 inches across the diagonal. An alleged prototype of the phone spotted out and about in San Francisco seemed to imply that this increase is indeed on the cards, although the actual physical size of the device may not be increasing by much thanks to an edge-to-edge screen which uses up all available space on the front fact of the smartphone.

While the iPhone 5`s hardware is still up in the air, its software is a little easier to understand prior to its release. iOS 5 will be making its debut on the iPhone 5 this autumn and Apple is making some big changes. Gone are the days when you had to plug your iPhone into a computer to synchronise files and download updates. Instead everything will not be done over the airwaves via Wi-Fi or 3G. To lessen the stress this might place on your mobile data tariff it is likely that Apple will be forced to roll out updates with increase regularity. This means there will be no more sitting around waiting for hundreds of megabytes of software to download.

NFC (Near Field Communication) could be another function present on the new iPhone. The Google Nexus S introduced this feature months ago, allowing users to turn their mobiles into digital wallets to make small payments in shops. Apple is also reported to be looking into this function and it has the selling power to get this kind of feature into the public consciousness in a way that Google cannot.

There is a tangible sense of excitement that builds up prior to the launch of a new iPhone and the fifth in the series could be the most important development to date.