Courtesy iLounge

The Liquidmetal iPhone 5 concept might not be real, but there are some substantial next iPhone rumors surfacing today.

The Apple news site iLounge says it has heard from its own sources that the next version of Apple's phone will have a larger 4-inch screen (the current iPhone has a 3.5-inch display), a metal back, and a new dock connector.

"The new iPhone will indeed be longer and thinner than the iPhone 4 and 4S," iLounge's Jeremy Horwitz reports. He also says that it will have a new back; it will have a metal panel but won't be curved as other reports have suggested.

It is also said that the new phone will use the second generation of Gorilla Glass, the durable glass that covers the current iPhone. Gorilla Glass 2 is thinner, but provides the same protection.

Lastly, iLounge reports that the phone will have a new dock connector, something that has reported previously as well. The new charging port is said to use fewer pins and be smaller.

Apple is expected to release the next iPhone in the second half of the year, perhaps in September, close to a year after the iPhone 4S was released. Apple has not said anything publicly about the next version of its iPhone. Here's what we do know for sure: there will be a heck of a lot of iPhone 5 rumors before Apple releases the real deal.

Also, make sure to check out our best iPhone camera accessories  video and post.