German website benm.at has developed a full-scale physical mockup of what they believe the iPhone 5 will look like. The prototype was created based on CAD designs, hardware components, pre-release phone cases and believable user-created designs.

The end result is a very realistic device that is thinner than the iPhone 4 and features a tapered teardrop shape. The teardrop design is thicker at the top of the phone and tapers down towards the bottom. Thickness is measured at 6.86mm at the top and 5.33mm at the bottom.

The back of the shell was machined from a single block of aluminum which was then treated with glass pearls to mimic the rough texture found on the back of the iPad. Gone are the 90-degree edges from the iPhone 4 which are replaced with curved corners like the iPad 2 has.

The prototype is only 1.34mm wider than the iPhone 4. The home button is now an oval shape and is rumored to be capacitive like the rest of the screen. It is believed that a mechanical button like on current iPhones takes away from valuable space inside the device.

The only key element that the designer was unsure about is the camera and LED flash placement. As such, it was left in the current iPhone 4 location on the mockup.

Apple will be announcing the next generation iPhone at a media event in Cupertino on October 4 at 10am local time.