Next-Generation iPhone Components Compared to Previous Models - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Next-Generation iPhone Components Compared to Previous Models

Following up on a fresh leak of claimed next-generation iPhone parts, Nowhereelse.fr now shares [Google translation] new photos from the same source that provide an interesting comparison between several of the new components and their predecessors found in the iPhone 4S and iPhone 4.

iphone 4 4s 5 component comparison 1
As shown in the top row, Apple appears to be returning to the rotational electric motor design for the vibrator that was used in the GSM iPhone 4 and earlier devices. In the CDMA iPhone 4 and the iPhone 4S, Apple has been using a larger drum-shaped linear oscillating vibrator that gives a softer feel and sound.

Apple's flex cable designs have also continued to evolve through the generations, with the company tending to group components on cables by function and physical proximity. With the move of the headphone jack to the bottom of the device and tweaks to the camera and sensor arrangements, it appears that Apple has in some respects been able to simplify its cable designs.

iphone 4 4s 5 component comparison 2
The second row of parts shows how Apple has modified the design of the volume control cable over time. While the part previously included the volume control button/mute switch assembly and the headphone jack, with the headphone jack having moved to the bottom of the device the cable now stretches across the device to also contain the power switch, consolidating all of the exterior button and switch functionalities on a single cable.

In previous iPhones, the power switch was included on the sensor cable, which also contained both the proximity sensor and the ambient light sensor, as shown in the third row of parts. But with the power switch now having been moved over to the volume control cable, the sensor cable has been simplified.

Not shown in these photos is the headphone jack and dock connector part. That part was one of the first to leak back in May, but the dock connector was initially misidentified as the earpiece before it was discovered that the headphone jack would actually be located on the bottom of the next-generation iPhone.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

Apple Acquires Award Winning App Play Feature

Apple Acquires Award-Winning App 'Play'

Monday June 29, 2026 7:39 am PDT by
In February, Apple notified the European Commission that it would be acquiring certain assets from and have the right to hire certain employees from Rabbit 3 Times, the company behind the award-winning app design tool Play. The notification was published on the European Commission's website this week, following a four-month waiting period. Play was a Mac and iPhone app that allowed designers ...
iPhone 18 Pro Deep Red Feature

Apple 'Concerned' Over iPhone 18 Pro Data Leak From Supplier Tata

Monday June 29, 2026 11:46 am PDT by
Apple is "concerned" about a recent data leak from Tata Electronics, one of its manufacturing partners in India, reports Reuters. Tata Electronics was the target of a cyberattack, with confidential Apple documents stolen and shared on the dark web. Hackers were able to steal information about the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, including a list of suppliers, parts, and images of the...
Four iPhone 18 Pro Colors Mock Feature

iPhone 18 Pro is Just a Few Months Away With These 10 New Features

Monday June 29, 2026 8:05 am PDT by
The next-generation iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are now just a few months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and a foldable "iPhone Ultra" in the first half of September, and the devices should be released in the second half of the month. The regular iPhone 18, a lower-end iPhone 18e, and a...

Top Rated Comments

Agent OrangeZ Avatar
181 months ago
Score: 40 Votes (Like | Disagree)
181 months ago
Score: 38 Votes (Like | Disagree)
181 months ago
Still waiting for the parts from the REAL next-gen iPhone to leak. Tired of the countless fakes we've been getting for months. Fake casings, screens and cables........

Can't tell if troll, sarcasm, or in denial.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
181 months ago
It really does make you think....the number of leaks is either ridiculous, especially in the face of Tim Cook claiming a doubling down of secrecy, or the number of leaks are indicative of intentional misdirection. I personally think we are seeing the real thing, but still. Geeez. Tim is going to present this phone for the first time and everyone will just stare at it like "we know Tim".
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
johncarync Avatar
181 months ago
Apple's Pitfall

Hey Apple,

If you're going to accuse Samsung of copying you, you need to be prepared for Activison to sue you for copying the main character from Pitfall for the parts in your iPhone.:)

Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
D.T. Avatar
181 months ago
Image (http://i50.tinypic.com/kd4jd5.jpg)

If you chopped that, I'd like to suggest to the staff to add a +100 button ... :D
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)