“Budget iPhone 5″ Geared for China?

Cheap iPhone 5

 

Rumors about the cheap version of iPhone 5 just won’t die down. Despite what an Apple executive has said about how cheap smartphones will never be the future of Apple’s products, sources claim that a budget iPhone 5 is indeed in the works.

Citing “reliable sources,” Jeremy Horwitz of iLounge reports that Apple will replace the aluminum body of its latest smartphone with a cheaper plastic casing. He adds that the cheaper version of iPhone 5 would have a Retina display, as well as a Lightning connector.

There is a catch, though. One of Horwitz’s source claim that the budget iPhone 5 will only be sold in mainland China, citing how Apple’s smartphones are too hefty for the average Chinese. The iPhone 5 is sold in China for an equivalent of US$849, which is pretty expensive in the land where the average annual salary is around $3,000.

The source also adds that Apple hopes the budget iPhone would “help sales in populous but underdeveloped countries to grow.”

Apart from the plasticky iPhone 5, Apple is also set to release at around July an upgraded iPhone 5S, which will supposedly come with an improved rear camera.

Source: iLounge