Photos of Bare iPhone 5S Logic Board Surface, Slightly Narrower Than iPhone 5 Board [Updated] - MacRumors
Skip to Content

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

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

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

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.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

8 CarPlay Features in iOS 27 Feature

Which iOS 27 CarPlay Features Actually Work in Your Car?

Thursday September 17, 2026 4:17 am PDT by
In iOS 27, available now, CarPlay gets its biggest update in years, but some features depend on what type of car you have rather than your iPhone model. Some of the biggest additions won't do anything in the vast majority of vehicles on the road today. Here's how the new features pan out. Works in Any CarPlay Vehicle Custom widgets: In iOS 27, CarPlay is no longer limited to Apple's handful ...
Apple Watch New Charging Puck

Here's Why a New Apple Watch Charging Puck Was Just Released

Wednesday September 16, 2026 8:53 am PDT by
The new Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 have hardware changes that allow for faster charging, but you will need to use the new version of the Apple Watch Magnetic Fast Charger included in the box in order to achieve this boost. If you need extra ones for your own charging stands or travel or so forth, Apple released the new version of the charger on its online store last week, with...
ios272anniversary

iOS 27.2 Could Save Your Marriage

Wednesday September 16, 2026 1:32 pm PDT by
The iOS 27.2 beta that Apple released today adds a feature that reminds you it's your anniversary when you call someone, as long as you've added the date in the Contacts app. On the date of your anniversary, when you go to call the person, you'll see a reminder that it's an important day so you don't forget to say something. The anniversary alert uses Call Context, a feature Apple added in...

Top Rated Comments

Four oF NINE Avatar
173 months ago
Need more GB, instead of quad core.

Add 128 GB, delete 16 GB, maintain current price points.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
173 months ago
Who cares, it will be running iOS 7 which is garbage! #BoycottiOS7
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...
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Rogifan Avatar
173 months ago
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...

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.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
chrmjenkins Avatar
173 months ago
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.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
173 months ago
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
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
173 months ago
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

Need more GB, instead of quad core.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)