Leaked Photos of Low Cost iPhone 4 Prototype

1 1432133578

A series of images of what are claimed to be a prototype lower-cost iPhone 4 have been posted to Vietnamese site Tinhte.vn. The images are said to come from a "very reliable source" and are said to represent a lower-cost version of the iPhone 4. Machine translation describes an iPhone 4 but using plastic instead of glass to lower costs:

Some other information that you want to transfer to you is that this machine seems to run faster than the iPhone 4, lighter weight and two glass front and back seem to have been replaced by two plastic sheets, type of sensation and cry other than the iPhone 4.

Vinhte.vn is notable for being one of the sites with early access to one of the original iPhone 4 prototypes. They've also posted photos and video from an iPod Touch prototype with camera as well as 64 GB White iPhone 4 running a special version of iOS 4 with Expose-like multitasking.

3 1635834904
There has been speculation about the possibility of two new iPhone models this year, including a cheaper model alongside the iPhone 5. The role of the cheaper model would be to penetrate the mid range smartphone market with another device. The existing iPhone 4 may be too expensive to produce as is to fill this gap.

Update: Some have suggested that the device is simply a regular jailbroken iPhone 4 with either matte protection films on the front and back or an early conversion kit utilizing plastic parts to turn black iPhone 4 units into white ones. While either of these explanations may be true, the original poster seems to believe that the device is genuine, and his track record of having obtained access to an iPhone 4 prototype ahead of the device's introduction as well as other prototype iOS devices adds weight to his claims.

Tag: Tinhte

Top Rated Comments

pewra Avatar
159 months ago
It's a normal iPhone with a matte screen protector, you can even see the edges around the home button and back corner. It's an older model with the different sensor sure, but nothing that isn't in the hands of the general public.
Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Tastydirt Avatar
159 months ago
I find it unlikely that Apple would use plastic for the front touchscreen surface, especially considering every iPod touch has had a glass screen.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jenlevin Avatar
159 months ago
really? this is an iPhone 4 with non-authentic (or not final) white glass, with matte front back/protectors... running cydia. i can't believe this is on macrumors.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
troop231 Avatar
159 months ago
I find it unlikely that Apple would use plastic for the front touchscreen surface, especially considering every iPod touch has had a glass screen.

Agreed, Apple planned on using plastic for the first generation iPhone's screen but then scrapped that and went with glass.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cvaldes Avatar
159 months ago
Totally bogus.

Switching from glass to plastic (or modifying anything else cosmetic) would have a negligible effect on the cost. The most expensive components are the capacitive touch screen, the LCD display, and the main silicon (SoC and NAND flash). Those are the things that would need to be altered to trim costs.

This rumor is ridiculously ludicrous.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DavidLeblond Avatar
159 months ago
It's a normal iPhone with a ****ty matte screen protector, you can even see the edges around the home button.

This. That was the first thing I thought of too. In fact if you look at the image of the front of the phone it's pretty obvious.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 17 and iPhones Feature

iOS 17: 10 New Features That Just Launched

Sunday September 17, 2023 12:35 pm PDT by
In June, Apple announced iOS 17 with a wide range of new features and changes for the iPhone. Following over three months of beta testing, the free software update will be released this Monday, September 18 for the iPhone XS and newer. Below, we have recapped 10 key features coming to the iPhone with iOS 17, with additional features coming later this year. The update should be released to...
iPhone 15 Pro Lineup Feature

iPhone 15 Models Feature New Setting to Strictly Prevent Charging Beyond 80%

Tuesday September 19, 2023 2:04 pm PDT by
All of the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro models feature a new battery health setting that prevents the devices from charging beyond 80% at all times when enabled, as confirmed by The Verge's Allison Johnson during a Q&A session today. The new setting is separate from the pre-existing Optimized Battery Charging feature on iPhones, which intelligently delays charging past 80% until a more...
maxresdefault

Apple Releases iOS 17 With StandBy, Live Voicemail, Improved Autocorrect, FaceTime Video Messages and Tons More

Monday September 18, 2023 10:05 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, the latest operating system updates that are designed for the iPhone and iPad. As with all of Apple's software updates, iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 are available for free. iOS 17 is compatible with the iPhone XR/iPhone XS and later, while iPadOS 17 runs on the iPad mini 5 and later, the iPad 6 and later, iPad Air 3 and later, the second-generation 12.9-inch...
flighty standby

Best Apps With New iOS 17 and watchOS 10 Features

Monday September 18, 2023 3:02 pm PDT by
With the release of a new operating system, there are multiple features and design elements for developers to adopt. Now that iOS 17 is out, many major apps are getting interesting updates today, which we've rounded up below. watchOS 10 also has a new design language, so there are a range of Apple Watch updates to check out too. Flighty (Free, Premium Subscription) Popular flight tracking...