iPhone 5S Release and iOS 7 Pegged for July

Apple will announce the iPhone 5S in June, with an iPhone 5S release date in July according to an analyst with a respected track record.

Ming-Chi Kuo’s latest investor notes, shared by MacRumors, predicts that Apple is planning to bring the iPhone 5S to market faster to avoid losing market share to competitors like the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the HTC One.

Earlier today we heard a separate rumor which pegs the iPhone 5S release at August.

In addition to predicting the release, Kuo reiterates his belief that the iPhone 5S will feature a fingerprint reader for added security. The iPhone 5S fingerprint reader will sit behind the home button, allowing users to authenticate themselves without the need for an unsightly fingerprint reader on the bezel or side of the phone, according to Kuo.

Apple purchased Authentec in 2012, a company that specialized in mobile security include integrated fingerprint readers that let users quickly secure and unlock a smartphone, like in the video below.

Other iPhone 5S features and specs include an Apple A7 processor, which would be an upgrade over the iPhone 5 and over the iPad 4, a Smart flash and a design similar to the iPhone 5.

Read: iPhone 5S Release Date & Rumor Roundup

Kuo believes we will see camera improvements on the iPhone 5S, but doesn’t anticipate a 13MP sensor. Instead Kuo suggests an f.2 aperture and an 8MP sensor. The smart flash would automatically pick between a yellow or white flash to fit the lighting conditions. An earlier rumor suggested a dual-LED flash with the LEDs stacked rather than side by side.

This implementation makes sense given smart flash technology. Apple reportedly entered into an exclusive agreement with Philips for Smart LED flash technology and components right before the iPhone 5 launch. The iPhone 5S could bear the fruit of such a partnership.

The release prediction matches up with Kuo’s earlier report and includes the mention of a cheaper iPhone, which Kuo calls a low cost iPhone 5. The cheaper iPhone is made of a, “hybrid iPhone 5 hybrid casing of fiberglass and plastic will make it lighter and slimmer than general plastic casing and easier to make in various colors.”

In addition to the iPhone 5S and a cheaper iPhone Kuo puts the iOS 7 announcement in June and the release timed up with the iPhone 5S. Apple typically announces new versions of iOS at WWDC in the summer, but during the last two releases Apple offered developers several months to prepare for the new version of iOS.

With the HTC One release this month and the Samsung Galaxy S4 launch on March 14th, Apple may feel the pressure to release the iPhone 5S early so it doesn’t spend half a year using the iPhone 5 to compete with the hottest new phones.