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LTE-Advanced iPhone 5S and budget model rumors surface

The budget iPhone is on the way in striking colors, and iPhone 5S could get fast LTE technology, according to reports.

Brooke Crothers Former CNET contributor
Brooke Crothers writes about mobile computer systems, including laptops, tablets, smartphones: how they define the computing experience and the hardware that makes them tick. He has served as an editor at large at CNET News and a contributing reporter to The New York Times' Bits and Technology sections. His interest in things small began when living in Tokyo in a very small apartment for a very long time.
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Brooke Crothers
Artist depiction of rumored budget iPhone
Artist depiction of rumored budget iPhone Martin Hajek

In need of a daily dose of rumors about future iPhones? Well, A Chinese-language blog claims the budget iPhone is on the way, while a Korean news outlet expects a version of the iPhone 5S with high-speed LTE.

Let's start with the most colorful rumor. Chinese tech blog lieyunwang claims -- via Brightwire -- that Hon Hai Precision (aka, Foxconn) has begun production of the entry-level iPhone, expected to be offered in several different colors.

What colors? A French site posted photos on Monday that claim to show the colorful back plates.

Meanwhile, the Chinese-language report states that the low-cost model is similar in price to the iPhone 4S.

It's worth noting that CEO T.H. Tung of Pegatron -- which is also expected to make the phone -- said last month that it won't actually be all that cheap.

The entry-level iPhone is expected to appear in the fall timeframe.

The latest iPhone 5S rumor is harder to sink your teeth into because it's only speculation about discussions between South Korea-based SK Telecom and Apple.

Basically, it's about getting LTE-Advanced technology into a version of the 5S. That's interesting because it would enable potential download speeds of 150 Mbps, roughly twice as fast as the 4G LTE speeds available in the United States and elsewhere.

For U.S. customers, the technology probably wouldn't be widely available. SK Telecom is the only global carrier that supports the technology, though U.S. carriers have plans.