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Apple Suppliers Starting to Ship 4" Screens for Next iPhone?
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Can't see Apple sticking with the 3.5 inch display. It's a phenomenal panel but the size is pretty much that - although not quality - of budget Android phones. The iphone must have the smallest ratio of screen size to device footprint of any phone in it's class. Despite my mis-givings of the 4/4s it looks great from a lot of angles, but straight on isn't one of them. The amount of black makes it look archaic. I've used the analogy before, but when I look at the 4 now all I think of is the older plastic/early al. iMacs and how small the screen seems for the size of the device.
I like the bezels though on both the iPhone and iPad. It lets me securely grip the phone without touching the screen.
I still don't understand why Apple just don't make 2 phones - One that retains the 3.5" screen and one that is biigest than 4" (like 4.3") so that the difference is more apparant. We can all argue for the next year which is better, but the fact is that some people prefer 3.5" and some want a lot larger phone like the current crop of Androids to accomodate bigger hands, video watching, older eyes, etc.
Neither group is right or wrong. There are clearly two markets here. Why does it have to be one or the other?
Tony
Neither group is right or wrong. There are clearly two markets here. Why does it have to be one or the other?
Tony
As someone who writes code for iOS, if they go 4 inch, I'd rather they keep the same pixel count.
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Apple has never been about choice.
Other manufacturers show that it is not that hard to squeeze in a 4 inch display on (nearly) the same size
Even the home button would still fit.
Terrible Comparison
I can't believe the mods haven't put a disclaimer on the OP.
That crop almost appears to be an intentional misdirect. At most the image should have lost ~5% off each side, and if it were playing in a 1:1 pixel mode the Galaxy would be the cropped one.
As for the screen size, while I like the 4" screen size, I love the current 3.5 overall unit dimensions. I'm sure Apple will strike a reasonable compromise.
FYI: I doubt we will get an edge to edge screen. In fact I doubt they will take the bezel much smaller than it is now. To make it in smaller will compromise touch access when it is mounted in any sort of case. You could redesign the cases to not lip over the front surface, but it would be a sizable compromise to the structural integrity of the case shell.
Karl P
I can't believe the mods haven't put a disclaimer on the OP.
That crop almost appears to be an intentional misdirect. At most the image should have lost ~5% off each side, and if it were playing in a 1:1 pixel mode the Galaxy would be the cropped one.
As for the screen size, while I like the 4" screen size, I love the current 3.5 overall unit dimensions. I'm sure Apple will strike a reasonable compromise.
FYI: I doubt we will get an edge to edge screen. In fact I doubt they will take the bezel much smaller than it is now. To make it in smaller will compromise touch access when it is mounted in any sort of case. You could redesign the cases to not lip over the front surface, but it would be a sizable compromise to the structural integrity of the case shell.
Karl P
On the weekends.
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Compared to iOS it's crap. If there wasn't iOS, then Android would be my second choice...but it's not a close call.
Yeah what's up with that? It makes the galaxy screen look like it has 6x or 8x the resolution.
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I'm all about a bigger screen but I hope they also revamp iOS. It desperately needs an interface refresh.
I'm all about a bigger screen but I hope they also revamp iOS. It desperately needs an interface refresh.
Notice that in this picture, the radius of the circle on the iPhone is larger than the one on the SII.
I'm not sure if the creator of this image simply wanted to cheat, but in a real life situation, it's true that your thumb would have greater mobility with a smaller device.
That's because not only the screen is larger, but also the back of the phone is. That means that to get the same grip with a larger phone, the inner edge of the phone (the one near your thumb) would be closer to your thumb, which leads to less thumb mobility.
Think of it like your hand is folded in two around the phone, so if you have the same grip at the outer edge of the phone, you have to double the size difference between both phones to know how much thumb mobility you lose by using the larger device.
In practice though, people don't really have the same grip around both phones (otherwise most would struggle to hit the opposite side of the larger phone), so you don't really have to double the difference in device size to compare them. However, that also means that people have a looser grip on larger phones.
There's enough iPhones that get dropped and broken already, I personally wouldn't want it to get any worse.
I have my doubts whether they would change the screen aspect ratio. It is quite simply the fastest way to destroy backwards compatibility.
They could get around it by adding extra horizontal pixels, and when a legacy app gets pushed just not using the extra space (or maybe leaving the dock and top status bar even when an app is open....?).
Running a slightly interpolated app (using a new, increased, screen res while using the old retina graphics) or sticking to the same res and simply growing it to lower the ppi are both reasonably easy on backwards compatibility.
An aspect ratio change is all but back to the drawing board.
Maybe they will, but I doubt it.
Karl P
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I think the bigger issue should be developing a display technology that is much more power-efficient. That or new battery technology altogether. If a 4 inch screen increases the drain on my battery even slightly, then I'd rather not have it. If they can improve power management then I'm all for it.
I think the bigger issue should be developing a display technology that is much more power-efficient. That or new battery technology altogether. If a 4 inch screen increases the drain on my battery even slightly, then I'd rather not have it. If they can improve power management then I'm all for it.
4" + screens are overrated. Having had a 4" screen with an eve and currently having a iPhone 4S i prefer the iPhone screen.
A thinner (iPod touch) style iPhone would be awesome
A thinner (iPod touch) style iPhone would be awesome
4" screen, fragmentation
I really hope they dont make another screen size. Now coders have four sizes to make graphics for, and another one will just make apps more bloated, because universal apps then have 5 different sizes of each graphic.Further, the 4" screen is just a bit too large for my thumb to reach everything.
I really hope they dont make another screen size. Now coders have four sizes to make graphics for, and another one will just make apps more bloated, because universal apps then have 5 different sizes of each graphic.Further, the 4" screen is just a bit too large for my thumb to reach everything.
As long as the next iPhone gets stellar battery life, I don't care how big the screen is. If it gets similar battery life as a droid with a 4-inch screen, no thanks.
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Im used to bigger screens now.
My wife's iP4 screen seems tiny compared to this beast.
Edit: a notification light would be great too.
Im used to bigger screens now.
My wife's iP4 screen seems tiny compared to this beast.
Edit: a notification light would be great too.
Ah . . . very good point.
There are basic usability principles to consider.
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Comfortable one-handed navigation. That Home button area is also a nice resting-place for your thumb.
It isn't just about fitting more into less space (something that's not necessarily desirable to begin with), but also about basic ergonomics.