iPhone 5 set to be a minor redesign, similar to iPhone 4

New reports concerning Apple's much-anticipated iPhone 5 suggest that the new version of the smart phone will be almost identical to the existing iPhone 4.

According to MacRumours, Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reckons the fifth iteration of the Jesus-phone will feature the same size screen as the iPhone 4, a very similar camera module (suggesting that the phone won't be any thinner) and a glass front and back just like the current model.

That report more or less kicks all the biggest iPhone 5 rumours into touch. We'd heard whispers of an edge-to-edge display and a slimmer, rounded design.

So if it's exactly the same, what's the difference? Well, Kuo reckons the next iPhone will pack 512MB of RAM, running on the A5 chip housed in the iPad 2.

A step-up in processing power would be akin to the step between the iPhone 3G and the iPhone 3GS. Could the next iPhone be the iPhone 4S?

The claims of a minor revision are backed up by a snippet of info leaked by Vodafone UK and spotted by Apple Insider -- text on the product page for Vodafone's Sure Signal device suggests that the iPhone 5 will be available in 16 and 32GB versions, and in black or white. Just like the iPhone 4.

Kuo says Apple is set to send its final iPhone 5 designs to its production bases, squaring the new device for a mid-October launch. 

To be honest we expected the iPhone 5 to have been revealed by now -- our best guess put the unveiling on 7 September, a date that calendar enthusiasts will notice has long since past. We'll be a little down in the dumps if we've been kept waiting for a phone that's basically the same.

On a less emotional level, Apple needs the next iPhone to be a winner if it's to fend off competition from the likes of Samsung, who's Android-powered Galaxy S2 is a seriously compelling mobile.

What do you reckon the next iPhone will look like? Let us know in the comments, or on our Facebook wall.