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

Top Rated Comments

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

Add 128 GB, delete 16 GB, maintain current price points.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Jsameds Avatar
134 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
134 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
134 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)
vmachiel Avatar
134 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)
Thunderhawks Avatar
134 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)

Popular Stories

iPhone 16 Mock Header With Dynamic Island

Skipping the iPhone 15 Pro? Here's What's Rumored for iPhone 16 Pro

Friday September 22, 2023 9:29 am PDT by
Are you skipping the iPhone 15 Pro and waiting another year to upgrade? If so, we already have some iPhone 16 Pro rumors for you. Below, we recap new features rumored for the iPhone 16 Pro models so far:Larger displays: The iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will be equipped with larger 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch displays, respectively, according to Ross Young, CEO of Display Supply Chain...
Update Your iPhone 15 to iOS 17

Warning: Update Your iPhone 15 to iOS 17.0.2 Before Transferring Data From Another iPhone

Friday September 22, 2023 6:36 am PDT by
If you are unboxing an iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, or iPhone 15 Pro Max today, make sure to update the device to iOS 17.0.2 before transferring data to the device from another iPhone, or else you might encounter issues. iOS 17.0.2 is only available for the iPhone 15 lineup. Apple says the update fixes an issue that may prevent transferring data directly from another iPhone...
iOS 17

Apple Releases iOS 17.0.1 and iPadOS 17.0.1 With Bug Fixes, Plus iOS 17.0.2 for iPhone 15 Models

Thursday September 21, 2023 10:28 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 17.0.1 and iPadOS 17.0.1 updates for the iPhone and the iPad, adding bug fixes to the new software. The iOS 17.0.1 and iPadOS 17.0.1 updates come just a few days after Apple launched iOS 17 and iPadOS 17. The software, which is build 21A340, can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. There is a...
Apple Watch Ultra 2 double tap gesture 230912

watchOS 10.1 to Enable Apple Watch's New 'Double Tap' Gesture

Thursday September 21, 2023 12:52 pm PDT by
The new Double Tap gesture for the Apple Watch Series 9 and the Apple Watch Ultra 2 will be enabled starting with watchOS 10.1, according to Marques Brownlee, host of the popular tech-focused YouTube channel MKBHD. The first beta of watchOS 10.1 will likely be available by next week, and Apple announced that the software update will be released next month. Brownlee shared his impressions...