Gold iPhone 5S? Don’t Count Your Cash Yet

The latest iPhone 5S rumor claims Apple will release a Gold iPhone 5S color option when the phone arrives this fall, despite the company’s previous commitment to black and white.

Multiple sources claim Apple is planning to launch the iPhone 5S with color options similar to the iPod touch, and a new leak today claims to show parts for a gold iPhone 5S color option.

The alleged iPhone 5S parts come from Nowhereelse.fr, a French publication that previously shared several alleged iPhone 5S parts. The latest leak comes from a gallery of iPhone parts comparing iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 parts to alleged iPhone 5S parts.

Supply chain sources are already pointing to an iPhone 5S launch in September, which would line up with production starting in the next several months. This would explain where the alleged iPhone 5S parts are coming from.

Read: iPhone 5S Release & Rumor Roundup

The image above shows what some are claiming could be evidence of a Gold color iPhone 5S. The parts come from iColorOS, which previously leaked parts for the iPhone 5 a month ahead of the launch, but there is reason to believe Apple isn’t working on a gold iPhone 5S color option.

The first giveaway is that while the gallery shows differences in the iPhone 5 and alleged iPhone 5S parts, the gold-colored parts look exactly like the iPhone 5. While we expect an iPhone 5S that looks similar to the iPhone 5, this also means it is easy for fakes to arrive that plausibly look like iPhone 5S parts.

Case in point, the image below shows a gold iPhone 5 that is part of a gallery on the IColoros website. The website is a jumble of photos and text, but the company appears to sell cases and customization options for the iPhone 5, including this gold one.

Even if the image above is not sold by the company, it is clear that there are gold colored iPhone 5 models and that the company has access to them. Users who want a gold plated iPhone 5 SIM card tray can even get one from eBay for just $15.

While it is entirely possible that Apple will offer the rumored iPhone 5S in multiple colors, like the iPod touch, these parts don’t offer a convincing argument for a gold iPhone 5S color option. If Apple is planning to introduce more colors to the iPhone lineup, an “S” release would make more sense than waiting for a rumored iPhone 6 with a new design.

Color options too often include delays and manufacturing issues when it comes to smartphones, but if Apple is prepping multiple colors for the iPhone 5S, the company could use the year leading up to an iPhone 5S release to identify and correct any issues.