Rumored iPhone 5 NFC Chip Is Just an Earpiece Speaker

Couple of weeks back, a photo of the fully-assembled iPhone 5 front panel revealed a component next to the front-facing camera, which some speculated could be near field communication chip (NFC).

However, AnandTech published a detailed analysis of likely features coming to the next generation iPhone, in which they explained why NFC is unlikely to make it to iPhone 5′s feature list.

Jim Dalrymple of The Loop – a well-known Apple blogger, who has an immaculate record when it comes to Apple related rumors also confirmed it with his typical “Yes”.

MacRumors now reports that the rumored iPhone 5 NFC chip appears to just an earpiece speaker based on the photos posted by Sonny Dickson earlier today.

Despite the fact that the square feature is slightly off-center with respect to the device, we’ve assumed that it must be the earpiece speaker, and consultations with experts at RepairLabs have suggested the same. [..]

[..] A couple of the photos show the square bracket having been removed, and one photo in particular contains a partial view of what does indeed appear to be an earpiece speaker.

Apple is widely expected to unveil the hotly anticipated 6th generation iPhone at a special event on September 12, which was officially announced earlier in the week.

Will you be disappointed if iPhone 5 doesn’t support NFC technology? Tell us in the comments below.

[Sonny Dickson via MacRumors]