Earlier today we showed you guys the first blurry photo of the reported backplate of Apple’s next-gen iPhone. Now a bunch of new high-res images have hit the web showing the same design in both black and white flavors. As you can see, the design of the back is dominated by brushed aluminum, with a colored glass/plastic top and bottom. Although I’d personally prefer aluminum for the entirety of the back (like the iPod Touch), I assume the colored border is to assist with signal strength, similar to the black plastic bottom on the first-gen iPhone.

Notable changes to the design of the device include placing the camera and LED flash farther apart, with what appears to be a microphone between then. Also, the speaker grill has been redesigned, the headphone jack has been moved to the bottom of the device and the dock connector is significantly smaller than the 30-pin slot current iPhones have.

We’ve also got a few images hinting at what the front of the device will look like, and I’m sure you’ll all be very happy to hear that the front glass panel is designed to accommodate a screen measuring 3.999 inches diagonally. The resolution of this new display is said to be 1136 x 640. What’s interesting is that it’s the same width as the current iPhone front, but taller. If this leak turns out to be true, this could potentially spell compatibly issues for apps designed for the current 3.5-inch iPhone displays.

The front-facing camera has also moved a bit, now resting front and center above the earpiece. What’s more, the breaks in the antenna around the edge of the body now match the color of the phone – black on the black iPhone and white on the white one. Speaking of the antennae, the metal antennae band that caused so many problems on the iPhone 4 is now molded into the metal backplate, which isn’t very surprising. Apple loves the unibody manufacturing process and the space saved by this design strategy will be valuable when fitting in the components for LTE connectivity as well as a battery to power them.

Other than that, not much is known. The microSIM card slot still appears, as does a space for the home button. Just judging from the images (which were obtained by 9to5Mac from sources in the supply chain) I think it’s safe to say that these are genuine Apple. The production, precision and design of the parts scream Apple, even if it’s just a prototype device.

What do you guys think? Is this the face of the new iPhone, or just one of Apple’s many possible iPhone designs? If it is what the next iPhone will look like, are you happy with what you see? Let me know in the comments section below or on twitter!

Via: 9to5Mac