Beautiful New IPhone 5 Concept – Best Yet?

There’s something about concepts that I really enjoy. Perhaps it’s the anticipation of the next iPhone launching, or seeing our iPhone fantasies actually mocked up, and designed. Whatever it is, I could browse through images all day.

The latest is one of the best yet, and comes via designer, Antoine Brieux. His latest concept takes note of the recent LiquidMetal rumors, but, instead of it making up the back of the device, it replaces the current steel chassis used on the iPhone 4/4S.

There are immediately noticeable differences, such as the headset jack place dead center at the top and redesigned volume buttons. There’s also the lack of SIM tray, since the card is embedded inside the phone. The screen is a whole 1-inch bigger diagonally (4.5″) and the home button isn’t real, it’s a virtual, on-screen button.

The biggest talking point is the LiquidMetal chassis. It’s much lighter and much harder than steel or Aluminum. It’s manufactured using molds to cast it whilst in liquid form, rather than being hewn out of a big slab of metal.

This means that use is much more economical in terms of how much waste is produced, and much finer details can be applied. Thanks to the combination of toughness and casting, it can also be made much thinner than the current frame, leaving more space for important things, like bigger batteries and processors. (According to the designer, it’ll be a monster A6 quad-core processor.)

I welcome any design that moves away from the completely flat and shiny iPhone 4/4S back. Anything that’s more comfortable to hold, and less likely to fall off the arm of my sofa is a good. Although this still looks a little shiny, at least it’s got a curve to it.

What are your thoughts? Is it the best concept yet?