First iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c Teardowns Show Touch ID Home Button, Nearly Identical Internal Layouts

Australian iPhone repair firm iExperts has already gotten its hands on the new iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c models (via TUAW), working to perform teardowns of the two devices to examine their internals. While the company has yet to start digging into the chips on the main logic board, it has been able to reveal a few details about the devices.

iphone_5_5s_5c_open

Left to right: iPhone 5, iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c

Unsurprisingly, the internal layouts of the new devices are consistent with that seen in leaked part photos and generally in line with that of the iPhone 5. Battery capacities have increased from 5.45 Whr in the iPhone 5 to 5.92 Whr in the iPhone 5s and 5.73 Whr in the iPhone 5c. That iPhone 5s number is slightly different than what appeared in regulatory documents last week but is consistent with what we saw on a December 2012 prototype, albeit with a newer part number on the battery.

A direct comparison of the logic boards from the three devices also shows how Apple has slightly narrowed the boards on the new devices compared to the iPhone 5, making room for a slightly larger battery.

iphone_5_5s_5c_logic_boards

Left to right: iPhone 5, iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c

Other tidbits discovered during the teardown include a metal clip holding in the new cable providing a connection for the Touch ID sensor in the home button, as well as a new coating on the power button believed to be designed to increase durability.

iphone_5s_touch_id_flex

iPhone 5s home button flex cable with integrated Touch ID sensor

More information from the new iPhones is undoubtedly forthcoming, with the teardown experts at iFixit also drawing upon their own extensive experience to delve into the details on the various components.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iOS 26

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by
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 ...
ios 18 to ios 26 upgrade

Apple Pushes iPhone Users Still on iOS 18 to Upgrade to iOS 26

Tuesday December 2, 2025 11:09 am PST by
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...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 Release Candidates to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Wednesday December 3, 2025 10:33 am PST by
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....
Intel Inside iPhone Feature

Apple's Return to Intel Rumored to Extend to iPhone

Friday December 5, 2025 10:08 am PST by
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....
Photos App Icon Liquid Glass

John Gruber Shares Scathing Commentary About Apple's Departing Software Design Chief

Thursday December 4, 2025 9:30 am PST by
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. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that Dye will lead a new creative studio within the company's AR/VR division Reality Labs. On his blog Daring Fireball,...
iOS 26

When Will Apple Release iOS 26.2?

Monday December 1, 2025 4:37 pm PST by
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...
maxresdefault

iPhone Fold: Launch, Pricing, and What to Expect From Apple's Foldable

Monday December 1, 2025 3:00 am PST by
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 ...
ive and altman

Jony Ive's OpenAI Device Barred From Using 'io' Name

Friday December 5, 2025 6:22 am PST by
A U.S. appeals court has upheld a temporary restraining order that prevents OpenAI and Jony Ive's new hardware venture from using the name "io" for products similar to those planned by AI audio startup iyO, Bloomberg Law reports. iyO sued OpenAI earlier this year after the latter announced its partnership with Ive's new firm, arguing that OpenAI's planned "io" branding was too close to its...
iphone air camera

iPhone Air's Resale Value Has Dropped Dramatically, Data Shows

Thursday December 4, 2025 5:27 am PST by
The iPhone Air has recorded the steepest early resale value drop of any iPhone model in years, with new data showing that several configurations have lost almost 50% of their value within ten weeks of launch. According to a ten-week analysis published by SellCell, Apple's latest lineup is showing a pronounced split in resale performance between the iPhone 17 models and the iPhone Air....
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

iPhone 17 Pro Lost a Camera Feature Pro Models Have Had Since 2020

Thursday December 4, 2025 5:18 am PST by
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...

Top Rated Comments

SockRolid Avatar
159 months ago
Which, let's all say it together, just sucks for what's supposed to be a top of the line smartphone. It may run fine this year, but I imagine it will have a shorter lifespan than most.

They really needed to boost the RAM this time around.
LOL. The number and quality of technical issues that haters can whine about has diminished.
Hasn't it longofest?

Remember the "Your wife will love the dual core Tegra processor" days?
When you could copy and paste Samsung's latest CPU GHz and pretend to brag about it.
When the entire mobile computing world was 32-bit.

No, those days are over. The haters (mostly Android apologists) only have 2 rants left:

1) "Not enough RAM."

This means zero to the average consumer. Less of a selling point than "Your wife will love..."
But high performance from just 1GB of RAM means "good engineering" to geeks.
Not coffee-shop geeks who think that learning multitouch gestures makes them technical.
Engineering geeks who read Anandtech. And understand it. All of it.

Here. Test yourself: http://www.anandtech.com/show/7335/the-iphone-5s-review
(If you're the TLDR type, just skip to the Geekbench scores.)

2) Screen is too small.

If the screen were too small, would iPhone dominate sales in the US?
Or is it that Americans have better eyesight than people in other countries?
Nope. iPhone owns the US market. Apple is the largest smartphone vendor here.
Screen size is irrelevant. Read it and weep:

http://www.i4u.com/2013/09/55660/kantar-apple-iphone-holds-434-us-market-share (http://www.i4u.com/2013/09/55660/kantar-apple-iphone-holds-434-us-market-share)
http://www.forbes.com/sites/benedictevans/2013/01/12/apples-market-share-might-be-too-high-not-too-low/ (http://www.forbes.com/sites/benedictevans/2013/01/12/apples-market-share-might-be-too-high-not-too-low/)
http://appleinsider.com/articles/13/09/06/apples-iphone-holds-40-share-of-us-smartphone-market (http://appleinsider.com/articles/13/09/06/apples-iphone-holds-40-share-of-us-smartphone-market)
http://news.yahoo.com/iphone-u-market-share-continues-grow-even-without-223039381.html (http://news.yahoo.com/iphone-u-market-share-continues-grow-even-without-223039381.html)

Most haters have given up on tech spec-rants. The 64-bit A7 has ended all of that.
Good for you for keeping the faith though. It just wouldn't be MacRumors without mindless trolls.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
840quadra Avatar
159 months ago
A bit rushed?

Not exactly the quality of photos and info we are used to seeing from iFixit . Neat to see the items, but looking forward to the detail reviews and info that iFixit can gather for us!
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Michaelgtrusa Avatar
159 months ago
I'm looking forward to reading these reviews. The new phone looks good.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Sedrick Avatar
159 months ago

2) Screen is too small.

If the screen were too small, would iPhone dominate sales in the US?

My personal belief is that the iPhone dominates sales in spite of the smaller screen, not because of it. Important distinction.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
longofest Avatar
159 months ago
Any word how much RAM the 5S has?

1gb, same as 5. (source: anandtech)

Several of the reviews have said it has 1GB of ram

1GB LPDDR3 (http://www.anandtech.com/show/7335/the-iphone-5s-review)

Which, let's all say it together, just sucks for what's supposed to be a top of the line smartphone. It may run fine this year, but I imagine it will have a shorter lifespan than most.

They really needed to boost the RAM this time around.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
croooow Avatar
159 months ago
I'm looking forward to reading these reviews. The new phone looks good.

Really?:rolleyes:
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)