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Report: iPhone 5 Coming to Sprint and T-Mobile, AT&T Already Testing

 & Sara Yin Junior software analyst

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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.

According to ArtoftheiPhone, Apple typically gives pre-production versions to its networks to test before giving it the go-ahead. For Verizon's CDMA iPhone 4, Apple apparently gave the network a prototype two weeks before its release, and employees were required to enter a pin every 12 hours or the iPhone would shut down completely.

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. For more, see 8 Likely iPhone 5 Rumors, and 2 Wild Ones.

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.

About Our Expert

Sara Yin

Sara Yin

Junior software analyst

Sara Yin is a junior analyst in the Software, Internet, and Networking group at PCmag.com, pouring most of her energy into app testing and security matters at Security Watch with Neil Rubenking. She lies awake at night pondering the state of mobile security (half-true). Prior to joining PCMag.com, Sara spent five years reporting for publications in New York City (Huffington Post), Hong Kong (South China Morning Post), and Singapore (Campaign Asia, Men's Health). Follow her on Twitter at @SecurityWatch and @sarapyin, or contact her the old school way: email. That's sara_yin AT pcmag.com.

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