The speculation and rumours surrounding the next smartphone from Apple have been heating up in recent weeks, with many fans of the platform hoping for something special this time round, and today we can tell you the iPhone 5 is rumoured to be joining the quad-core party.

According to an article on Tech Source there are claims that the iPhone 5 will be powered by a quad-core processor, and be similar to the Exynos 4 Quad from Samsung. The source is not making any claims to which company will be responsible of manufacturing the processors, but it is being suggested they will be based on the same technology that Samsung uses for their Exynos 4 Quad components.

Previously Apple has used ARM processors that were compatible with its mobile devices, and they were made by bitter rival Samsung. While there are some that believe the chances of the next iPhone featuring a quad core processor are pretty low, and it would be surprising if Apple were to use technology from other companies considering the ongoing patent disputes.

An iPhone 5 powered by a dual core processor would work great running the iOS 6 operating system, and the company’s history tells us that it likes to place the iPad chipsets into the next version of the iPhone. The Apple iPhone 4 was treated to the single core A4 processor found in the original iPad, and the iPhone 4S uses a processor that is based on the iPad 2’s dual core A5 unit.

This could mean the iPhone 5 may feature a dual core A5X SoC LTE unit that made its debut earlier this year with the new iPad. We have already heard numerous suggestions that the iPhone 5 will sport a bigger display, and the device will have many consumers that have already decided to purchase the handset before anything is made official about it. Recent suggestions have also hinted at the device being released earlier than expected.

Do you hope the iPhone 5 has a quad core processor?