Apple manufacturing plants will begin cranking out the new iPhone 5S and its low-cost version this quarter, a new report said, leading to the handsets' purported June 20 launch with the release date to follow on early July.

While not using the term iPhone 5S, the Wall Street Journal has indicated in a new report that Apple "plans to begin production of a new iPhone similar in size and shape to its current one in the second quarter of the year."

This latest move from the tech giant supports earlier reports that a June 20 debut for the Apple smartphone is in the works, likely fitting in with the Worldwide Developers Conference that the company stages each year, analysts said.

In a report, Apple Insider affirmed the growing consensus that the iPhone 5S and its twin cheaper gadget will see the light of the day more than two months from now, adding that "parts claimed to be from the iPhone 5S were spotted last month, providing further evidence that Apple's next handset could be nearing production."

The same WSJ report revealed too that "Apple continues to work with its manufacturing partners in Asia on a less expensive iPhone that could be launched as soon as the second half of this yea."

This price-sensitive iPhone model reflects Apple's increasing interest to establish more presence in "in developing countries where customers prefer to purchase unsubsidised handsets without a service contract," Apple Insider said.

Apple watchers are convinced that the 2013 iPhone refresh will mirror minor upgrades from the iPhone 5, specifically displaying the same 4-inch screen with Retina display technology plus the same body-build and design.

If new things were to be seen via the iPhone 5S, the innovations will be focused on the iOS 7, the faster A7 computing chip, a slight improvement in the camera department and the addition of new shell colour options.

Other reported enhancements such as the fingerprint sensor will have to wait for a few more months after the iPhone 5S' reported release date in July, with the rumoured 4.8-inch iPhone 6 possibly carrying the security feature that Apple had acquired from AuthenTec, some analysts said.