Hold on to your hats folks, there are a number of interesting and credible iPhone 5 rumors circulating around the blogosphere this week that are worthy of some attention.
Hold on to your hats folks, there are a number of interesting and credible iPhone 5 rumors circulating around the blogosphere this week that are worthy of some attention.
Now, one of the lingering questions regarding the iPhone 5 is whether or not Apple is going to switch things up and release a device with a larger display. To date, every iPhone released has sported a 3.5-inch screen with a 3:2 aspect ratio. But a growing chorus of reports have all pointed to an iPhone 5 with a larger 4-inch screen.
According to a recent report from 9to5Mac, which has a pretty good track record with respect to iPhone/iOS rumors, Apple is currently testing a few next-gen iPhones while it presumably debates, internally, what the ultimate design will be. And whadya know, one of the devices just so happens to sport a larger display.
Right now we know of a few next-generation iPhone candidates in testing. These prototype phones are floating around Apple HQ in thick, locked shells in order to disguise the exterior design to “undisclosed” employees. We know of two next-generation iPhones in testing with a larger display: the iPhone 5,1 and iPhone 5,2. These phones are in the PreEVT stage of development and are codenamed N41AP (5,1) and N42AP (5,2). Because Apple reserves certain models for internal-only usage (such as the N96 phone we previously reported on), we’re not sure which of the two devices will make its way into the world later this year.
The report claims that one of the aforementioned iPhone models sport a 3.99-inch display that Apple has implemented by keeping the width the same but increasing the length of the display to 3.84 inches. In doing so, Apple will not keep the resolution as is but will add an extra 176 pixels. All told, the aspect ratio will be very close to 16:9.
In conjunction with the possibility of Apple releasing a device with a larger display, 9to5Mac also writes that Apple is tinkering with different versions of iOS 6 that take advantage of the extra space, with one cited example being a homescreen with an added row of icons.
Following that, John Gruber, who typically has a credible finger on the pulse of Apple rumors, added that Apple has been tinkering with the display of the iPhone, but only via increasing its height. He also makes a case for the pixel density coming in at 1136, arguing that doing so would result in a screen 3.99 inches long and minutely close to an aspect ratio of 16:9.
So there you have it, two uber credible sources with information regarding an iPhone with a larger screen.
But wait, there’s more!
This past Tuesday, MacRumors posted a photo of what purports to be the front panel of an upcoming iPod Touch. The panel is noticeably longer than the current iPad touch with the display measuring in at 4.1 inches on the diagonal.
It’s a safe bet that if Apple increases the display on the iPod Touch, the next-gen iPhone will also see the same larger display.
And of course, a bigger display isn’t the only feature the iPhone 5 is rumored to be bringing to the table as 4G LTE support is another big addition likely to debut with the iPhone 5. The iPhone 4S is the most popular iPhone model to date, but with a 1-2 combo of a bigger screen+4G, it stands to reason that the iPhone 5 will blow previous iPhone sales records out of the water.
