A couple of new iPhone rumors suggest Apple could be looking to release both high-end and low-end models this year, while the iPhone 5 remains in the middle. Analyst Peter Misek has suggested that the iPhone 5S will go through preliminary builds in March, with a launch in June or July, less than a year after the iPhone 5 debuted. Originating from Asian part suppliers, a second report claims that a recently rumored lower-cost iPhone could include a plastic chassis, or a plastic-and-metal chassis designed such that parts might be seen from the outside — a rumored launch date for this model is sometime in the second half of this year. While the rumors should be taken with requisite grains of salt, particularly when they come from analysts, the rumors follow Friday’s withdrawn report regarding Apple Senior VP Phil Schiller’s comments on a cheaper iPhone—a withdrawal that has been taken to suggest that the company is indeed pursuing a new affordable model. iLounge’s own sources suggest that Apple hopes to release a less expensive version of the iPhone 5, featuring such components as a Lightning connector and 4” screen.

[via Street Insider, Digitimes]