iPhone 5 Leak Hints At NFC Support

As more and more new iPhone parts leak on the web we see confirmation of numerous rumors. The latest leak finally shows that NFC is plausible for the iPhone 5.

According to 9To5Mac, a new part for the iPhone 5 has a mysterious square section which could hold an NFC chip. The new leak comes from Apple.pro, and it looks like the backing for the taller screen in the iPhone 5.

The small piece sits just to the right of the earpiece in the alleged iPhone 5 part. The placements hints that Apple is preparing a front-facing NFC chip for the new iPhone. Most other smartphones have NFC on the back of the device, with some incorporating the technology in the battery or battery door. The front-facing placement matches up with images in Apple’s NFC patents.

Recent code found in iOS 6 also hints at NFC. There was some doubt about NFC in the iPhone 5 before, but now it looks like Apple is ready to bring the technology to its device.

With NFC Apple can make it much easier to pair Bluetooth devices with the iPhone 5. It would also make it easier to send files from iPhone to iPhone with a feature like Android Beam.

The most obvious use for NFC, however, is mobile payments. If the new iPhone does have NFC, we assume the chip works with the new PassBook app for mobile payments. Apple has the potential to make a big move in mobile payments; if the carriers allow it, or if Apple can work around the carriers.

We’re waiting to see if Apple can pull off mobile payments, and if it can create a better system than Google Wallet.

Apple will likely announce the new iPhone on September 12. The rumors iPhone 5 release date is just nine days after the announcement on September 21.The new iPhone will likely have a 4-inch screen with a resolution of 640×1136, 4G LTE, a slightly larger battery, and a smaller dock connector.

Check out our iPhone 5 coverage.