iPhone 5 Pre-orders Start … in China

There is no iPhone 5 release date and Apple hasn’t so much as mentioned the next iPhone, but that isn’t stopping a Chinese retailer from offering the iPhone 5 for pre-order.

Kotaku spotted the early iPhone 5 pre-order sales on Chinese site Sohu, which includes a sign placed in the store with what looks like an iPod Touch blown up to massive levels and a smaller page with the old iPhone 5 teardrop design taped to the poster.

Read: iPhone 5 Release Date, Specs & Rumors

Apple just announced availability of the new iPad in China on July 20th, but so far we haven’t heard about an exclusive early launch of the iPhone 5 in China.

The iPhone is a major deal in China, and demand for a real iPhone 5 will likely be high when the official release date is announced. Until then, this entrepreneurial retailer is the only place taking iPhone 5 pre-orders. As Apple makes a major push into China, it may prove difficult for small retailers like this to offer up grey market iPhones.

iPhone 5 Release Date & Pre-Orders

Apple typically does not start pre-orders until after the iPhone is announced. Apple usually starts taking pre-orders for the iPhone a week ahead of the official release date. We currently expect an iPhone 5 release date in September or October, with a middle of October release looking most promising.

Read: iPhone 5 Release Date – What to Expect

Users hoping to pre-order the iPhone 5 on day one can start saving $2 a day to pay cash for the iPhone. The iPhone 5 pre-orders will likely sell out within a few days, as pre-orders typically top 1 million in the first day. Based on the iPhone 4S launch, it wouldn’t be surprising to see iPhone 5 pre-orders start in early October.

iPhone 5 Rumors

The iPhone 5 rumors point to a thinner iPhone 5 with a taller 4-inch display and 4G LTE connectivity. The iPhone 5 might look like the TechnoBuffalo concept video below with a metal back.

Less solid rumors suggest that the iPhone 5 will have a quad-core processor and feature NFC connectivity for mobile payments and PassBook support.