The iPhone 5 unlocked release date has been rumored to be sometime later this month.

The rumors have been sparked by the systematic method in which Apple has released its devices in the past.

Last year the company launched the iPhone 4S in October, and made the unlocked version available the month after. That would indicate that the wait for the iPhone 5 should not be long away.

Customers on the T-Mobile network will be awaiting the release of the unlocked device eagerly. Last year T-Mobile said that it had more than 1 million iPhone users and invited smartphone users on other networks to move over to them.

For American customers who are eager to get their hands on the unlocked version as soon as possible they could try and obtain one from Canada. The unlocked iPhone 5 became available in Canada from the release date, and all iPhones from Apple Stores in the country are unlocked.

The price for the device in Canada for the 16, 32, and 64GB versions are CAD $699, CAD $799, and CAD $899 respectively.

In the U.S., the unlocked phones will be priced at $649, $749, and $849.

The iPhone 5 features a 3.95 oz Aluminum Unibody build, housing the new Apple A6 processor and framing the new 4" LCD screen at a resolution of 1136 x 640.

The smartphone runs on iOS 6 and provides a maximum of 8 hours 3G talk and data use. Similar to the S3, the iPhone 5 has both 1080p recording capabilities and an 8 megapixel rear-facing camera. However, one key difference is a 0.9 megapixel front-facing camera.

The iPhone 5 also offers 802.11 b/g/n/a dual-band WiFi and cell coverage using EV-DO Rev. A, LTE, and HSPA+

Tags: technology