iPhone 5S, cheaper iPhone launch in June or July: Report

Apple is all set to launch the iPhone 5S and the much-rumoured cheaper iPhone in June or July, analyst Amit Daryanani of RBC Capital Markets has claimed.

Daryanani further goes on to state that the cheaper iPhone will lack Apple's trademark 'Retina' display, in a bid to keep the costs down, Mac Rumours reports.

Our supply-chain checks indicate that AAPL is working to launch multiple new phones in the June/July time-frame this year. Specifically, AAPL will launch the iPhone5s and a more affordable but lower-end iPhone at the same time, in either late CYQ2 or early Q3. The low-end iPhone will have the same 4" form factor as the iPhone5 but will have plastic casing and no retina display. With a lower price-point, AAPL will be able to target a growing and important part of the Smartphone market (sub-$400 price-band).

Earlier reports had indicated that the cheaper iPhone will have a polycarbonate body and carry a price tag of $330 (unsubsidised), which is nearly half the price that an unsubsidised iPhone 5 carries, so this report is in line with that. Another report had said that Apple may use Qualcomm's Snapdragon SoC for low-cost iPhone, instead of its own processors, due to price and supply constraints.

As for the successor to iPhone 5, some rumours had indicated that the iPhone 5S will come with NFC and fingerprint scanner. However, Apple Insider has dug out some purported pics of iPhone 5S parts, including the home button, which do not bear any clear indication of a fingerprint scanner.