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.
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.
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.
Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below.
Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
Tuesday December 2, 2025 11:09 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple is encouraging iPhone users who are still running iOS 18 to upgrade to iOS 26 by making the iOS 26 software upgrade option more prominent.
Since iOS 26 launched in September, it has been displayed as an optional upgrade at the bottom of the Software Update interface in the Settings app. iOS 18 has been the default operating system option, and users running iOS 18 have seen iOS 18...
Wednesday December 3, 2025 10:33 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple today seeded the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 updates to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming two weeks after Apple seeded the third betas. The release candidates represent the final versions of iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found during this final week of testing....
Thursday December 4, 2025 9:30 am PST by Joe Rossignol
In a statement shared with Bloomberg on Wednesday, Apple confirmed that its software design chief Alan Dye will be leaving. Apple said Dye will be succeeded by Stephen Lemay, who has been a software designer at the company since 1999.
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On his blog Daring Fireball,...
Friday December 5, 2025 10:08 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Intel is expected to begin supplying some Mac and iPad chips in a few years, and the latest rumor claims the partnership might extend to the iPhone.
In a research note with investment firm GF Securities this week, obtained by MacRumors, analyst Jeff Pu said he and his colleagues "now expect" Intel to reach a supply deal with Apple for at least some non-pro iPhone chips starting in 2028....
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We're getting closer to the launch of the final major iOS update of the year, with Apple set to release iOS 26.2 in December. We've had three betas so far and are expecting a fourth beta or a release candidate this week, so a launch could follow as soon as next week.
Past Launch Dates
Apple's past iOS x.2 updates from the last few years have all happened right around the middle of the...
Monday December 1, 2025 3:00 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple is expected to launch a new foldable iPhone next year, based on multiple rumors and credible sources. The long-awaited device has been rumored for years now, but signs increasingly suggest that 2026 could indeed be the year that Apple releases its first foldable device.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
Below, we've collated an updated set of key details that ...
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Thursday December 4, 2025 5:18 am PST by Tim Hardwick
iPhone 17 Pro models, it turns out, can't take photos in Night mode when Portrait mode is selected in the Camera app – a capability that's been available on Apple's Pro devices since the iPhone 12 Pro in 2020.
If you're an iPhone 17 Pro or iPhone 17 Pro Max owner, try it for yourself: Open the Camera app with Photo selected in the carousel, then cover the rear lenses with your hand to...
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.
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.
