Apple has its hands full in 2013. With the much rumored iPhone 5S, budget iPhone, and iPhone 6 likely slated for release this year, the Cupertino-based company is already having trouble keeping a lid on its plans for the much coveted smartphone brand. Aside from a handful of choice details about the unconfirmed devices, multiple analysts suggest that the 5S and cheaper iPhone 5 will launch in the second half of 2013.
More specifically, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo expects both handsets to land on store shelves between June and July, according to a MacRumors report (via CNET). Kuo suspects that the 5S will feature a brand new A7 processor, a fingerprint sensor, and an upgraded camera loaded with smart LED flash and an f2.0 aperture.
As for the budget iPhone 5, the analyst believes that an unlocked price range between $350 and $450 is in order, courtesy of a cheaper plastic shell. Kuo's prediction lines up with Jeffries analyst Peter Misek's outlook for 2013.
"Our checks indicate that preliminary builds for the iPhone 5S will start in March for a launch in June/July," Misek notes.
Further layering evidence of a cheaper iPhone 5, supply chain sources told DigiTimes that "related upstream components for the entry-level iPhone are currently going through validation and the actual product may show up in the market in the second half of 2013."
In the global market Samsung still edges out Apple in smartphone market share, thanks in no small part to its diversified roster of offerings for consumers. If the budget iPhone 5 turns up this summer, it will be interesting to see if the Apple can regain lost ground to the Korean company.