The much-touted iPhone 5S is in the news again and this time images of the impending Apple smartphone have surfaced online. Apple is rumored to be working on the next-generation iPhone, which it allegedly will launch in March this year.

The leaked images give iFans a glimpse of the smartphone, but whether the images are authentic or not is anybody's guess.

 "Now a batch of alleged iPhone 5S photos has surfaced online, which claims to give the first glimpse into the design and dimensions of the upcoming smartphone," reports The Times Of India.

The images of the alleged iPhone 5S, supposedly taken at a Foxconn plant, have popped up on Zol.com.cn, a Chinese blog. The leaked images show both the front and rear panels of what looks like the pre-production version of the next-gen iPhone.

This is not the first time iPhone 5S has been in the news. Recently, rumors hinted that the iPhone 5S would have a beefier A7 processor and a Chinese blogger disclosed that his friend who works with an Apple supplier had seen the iPhone 5S and iPhone 6, and the handsets were slated for a 2013 launch.

The authenticity of the current leaked images, however, remains questionable. Certain things in the image suggest that the photos may be fan mock-ups and not the real deal. For example, the images show a microSD card slot in the device. So far, no Apple handset or tablet has sported a microSD card so the presence of one seems a bit fishy. Unless, of course, Apple is finally considering taking the microSD card route after so many years.

Yet another aspect that brings the legitimacy of the images into question is that a low-cost battery can be seen in the alleged iPhone 5S. Moreover, the battery is smaller in size when compared to the one in the iPhone5. Apple is rumored to be working on a cheaper iPhone, but it is unlikely that the company would compromise on quality. Another aspect hinting at fake images is that the device's connector port is not the 8-pin Lightning connector. 

A big question mark hovers over whether the iPhone 5S pictures are fake or real. What do you think?