iPhone 5 set for Sprint and T-Mobile, AT&T in testing say reports

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Handhelds, Rumors

This week's "iPhone 5" rumors focus on the carriers. According to Piper Jaffray analyst Chris Larsen, via CNET, the "most noteworthy" change to Apple's next-generation iPhone is that it'll be offered by Sprint and T-Mobile, on top of existing carriers AT&T and Verizon.

In May, another analyst said an iPhone "4S" was launching on Sprint and T-Mobile in time for the Christmas holidays.

Meanwhile, ChipHazard reports that the next-generation iPhone is being field tested on AT&T's networks, according to a "well-placed sources in AT&T Mobility." The tests include signal reception and connectivity, and once they pass the tests the prototype will be given to manufacturers.

As for phone specs, there's an endless amount of speculation. Some of the more recent rumors include a completely revamped iPhone 5 with wireless juicing, a "baby iPhone" for developing markets.

Last Wednesday, the Wall Street Journal reported that Apple was expecting to sell 25 million fifth-generation iPhones by the end of 2011. Dubbed by its unnamed sources as the "iPhone 5," the device sounds like a minor upgrade from the iPhone 4, with a thinner, lighter chassis and an 8-megapixel camera. Furthermore it would use wireless baseband chips from Qualcomm, rather than chips from Infineon Technologies as discovered in iPhone 4 teardowns.

Most reports point to Apple announcing the next iPhone in the late summer, with a September launch.

This article, written by Sara Yin, originally appeared on PCMag.com and is republished on Gear Live with the permission of Ziff Davis, Inc.