Apple to ship iPhone 5 with A5 dual-core processor

The iPhone 5 is set to be powered by the same A5 dual-core processor as the iPad 2, according to developers who have looked into the inner workings of the iOS 4.3 firmware update.

The iOS 4.3 release code contains a kernel for a device named N94AP, which is widely tipped by developers to be the codename for the iPhone 5.

A developer known as @chronic found that the part number for the A5 processor is S5L8940. A screenshot posted on Apple site iClarified shows that the iPhone 5 kernelcache.release file contains references to this same part, confirming that the dual-core processor will appear in the smartphone.

The original iPad and iPhone 4 contained the same A4 chip, lending further support to the theory.

If the iPhone 5 does contain the A5 processor, it will have a significant performance boost, as Apple claims that the chip delivers twice the CPU performance and nine times the graphics performance of the original iPad.

The inclusion of the dual-core processor is unsurprising as it is one of a few major updates expected to be included in the iPhone 5, according to Francisco Jeronimo, research manager for European mobile devices at analyst firm IDC.

"The incorporation of NFC technology is likely to be the most notable hardware inclusion, together with upgrades to the camera and display," he told V3.co.uk.

"LTE compatibility is unlikely to be included in UK versions as the technology is yet to launch, although the functionality may be present in US models."

Jeronimo was also confident that Apple will stick with the same form factor because all the applications have been designed specifically for the 3.5in display.

The iPhone 5 is likely to continue the trend of being a top-selling device on launch, and the main challenge Apple faces is to devise a strategy for the mid-market, Jeronimo added.

"Apple faces strong competition from Android in the Western market with HTC and Samsung handsets doing well. After the iPhone 5 is released Apple will cut the price of the iPhone 4 and 3GS models to boost volumes," he said.

V3.co.uk contacted Apple to confirm details of the iPhone 5, but the firm declined to comment on the speculation. The next-generation smartphone is expected to be announced in May or June.

Carolina Milanesi, research vice president at Gartner, agreed that the inclusion of LTE would only make sense in the US market at present, but didn't rule out incorporation of NFC.

"LTE would compromise battery life and design and we know Apple does not like compromises on those two points," she noted.

"NFC would make more sense from a user and competitor perspective given that Android Gingerbread supports it."