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Do you want a 4 inch Super AMOLED 960x640 screen with full RGB subpixels in iPhone 5?

Do you want a 4 inch Super AMOLED 960x640 screen with full RGB subpixels in iPhone 5?

  • Yes

    Votes: 177 59.0%

  • No

    Votes: 123 41.0%
  • Total voters
    300
wikoogle

wikoogle

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jun 12, 2009
929
0
Why 4 inches? Because a bigger screen makes routine tasks much more plesant, browsing the web, reading ebooks, watching videos, playing games, everything looks much nicer on a bigger screen.

I get not wanting the phone to be larger. But it actually wouldn't have to be...

Originally Posted by Sedrick:
I worked some mock-ups in my cad program and a 4" screen will fit (in the iPhone, without making it bigger):
attachment.php


If Apple cuts down on the amount of room the bezel takes, the screen could be made 4 inches without making the phone any bigger. People get turned off by the size of some Android phones. But that's only because Andriod phones are often poorly designed, have a ton of extranous space for logos and unneeded buttons, waste a ton of space and are generally way bigger and thicker than they need to be. However, there is no rational reason why someone wouldn't want a 4" screen on the iPhone if the phone remains roughly the same size and shape as the iPhone 3GS, 3G and original iPhone.

If the resolution stays the same, none of the apps would have to be updated. And the resolution can stay the stame, the Retina Display would still keep it sharp. Many people don't realize just how high a 320 dpi really is. The vast majority of devices including your laptop probably have a dpi of under 140. A 4" screen with a 960x640 resolution would have a dpi of ~290 which is still twice the dpi of most devices including most Macbook Pros and Apple Cinema Displays.

The advantages of a 4 inch screen are numerous. Typing, websites, ebooks, emails, videos, games would all look and be much easier to use with a 4 inch screen. The iPhone, once cutting edge, currently has the smallest screen of any popular smartphone. I suggest playing around with smartphones with 4 inch screens to see just how much more pleasant a bigger screen can make browsing, book reading, gaming and video playback. The current iPhone has a large bezel that could be done away with to accommodate a 4 inch screen without increasing the overall size of the phone much at all. The Galaxy S has a much smaller bezel and is perfectly comfortable to hold inspite of this.

Take a look at this picture, comparing the iPhone to the Galaxy S which offers a 4" screen, and yet manages to be approximately the same size and weight as the iPhone 4.

Compare the screen size and display of the Galaxy S (4") and the iPhone 4 (3.5").
galaxy-s-vs-iphone4-screen.jpg

Externally, both phones are almost identical in size. The Galaxy S has a bigger screen but a smaller bezel.

"From my experience, it's far easier to use the on screen keyboard, browse online, read pdfs, emails and e-books, and watch movies with an extra inch of diagonal real estate. Everything just looks nicer, especially games, websites read easier when the text isn't quite so tiny, and movies feel more immersive. It's shocking how big a difference..." -iPhonedHome

Here is a picture of a mock iPhone that maintains the same identical height as the iPhone 4 (it is wider though) while managing to pack a whopping 4.5" screen...

iphone4g-mock.jpg


The current home button is starting to look a little stale, this addresses that (though I'm not happy with this iteration either, I'm sure Apple could do better). Also examine how the design maximizes the screen size by reducing the bezel.

theAKshiz said:
With all the new media apps coming this yr and into next, it's ridiculous to watch all that on a 3.5 inch screen no matter how high the resolution. I'm a media guy and would much rather watch all that hi-res on a 4.whatever screen rather than a 3.5. At least sell two phones. One for the soon to be minority 3.5ers, and one for the rest of us. Why waste all that valuable iPhone space on those black bars on the side of the screen?
Click to expand...

It's not only tech geeks that enjoy watching videos on the iPhone, browsing the web on the iPhone, reading ebooks on the iPhone, reading maps on the iPhone, looking at and showing off pics on the iPhone, all tasks that are made substantially easier with a bigger screen. I am willing to bet that a general sample of all iPhone owners would show similar stats, with most wanting a bigger screen that makes these tasks easier and more pleasent.

You probably already notice that colors on OLED display cellphones have deeper blacks, appear more vibrant and tend to pop more especially when viewing photographs and video, compared to the iPhone 4's display.

Any of the blurriness/inaccuracies that occur in some OLED screens occur as a result of the use of pentile subpixels. An OLED display that uses RGB subpixels as indicated wouldn't have any such issues. They would however retain the rich deep colors and deep blacks that OLED displays offer.

In addition to this, Wikipedia lists the following advantages of OLED displays over IPS displays such as those found in the iPhone 4.

Better power efficiency: LCDs filter the light emitted from a backlight, allowing a small fraction of light through so they cannot show true black, while an inactive OLED element does not produce light or consume power.

Response time: OLEDs can also have a faster response time than standard LCD screens. Whereas LCD displays are capable of a 1 ms response time or less offering a frame rate of 1,000 Hz or higher, an OLED can theoretically have less than 0.01 ms response time enabling 100,000 Hz refresh rates.

Light weight & flexible plastic substrates: OLED displays can be fabricated on flexible plastic substrates leading to the possibility of Organic light-emitting diode roll-up display being fabricated or other new applications such as roll-up displays embedded in fabrics or clothing. As the substrate used can be flexible such as PET, the displays may be produced inexpensively.

Wider viewing angles & improved brightness: OLEDs can enable a greater artificial contrast ratio (both dynamic range and static, measured in purely dark conditions) and viewing angle compared to LCDs because OLED pixels directly emit light. OLED pixel colours appear correct and unshifted, even as the viewing angle approaches 90 degrees from normal.

Compared to standard OLEDs, Active-matrix OLED displays provide higher refresh rates than their passive-matrix OLED counterparts, and they consume significantly less power. This advantage makes active-matrix OLEDs well suited for portable electronics, where power consumption is critical to battery life.

And compared to OLED displays, Super AMOLED displays have additional advantages...

20% brighter screen
80% less sunlight reflection
20% reduced power consumption

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_AMOLED

This is why I hope to see a 4 inch Super AMOLED Active-Matrix 960x640 resolution display with full RGB subpixels in the next iPhone.

If you want to see such a display in the iPhone 5, email Steve Jobs...

I hear his email is sjobs@apple.com ;)
 
Last edited:
4 inch screen is the sweet spot IMO. Whether is the current screen technology or Super AMOLED makes no difference to me
 
Wow, that's a great statement, there is only one problem. Wouldn't app devs have to update the res of their apps to fit the 4 inch screen, or would the Retina Display still keep it sharp?
 
What's with all the stupid people voting no?

Bad mistake in making a a poll, there's a lot of clueless people voting.
 
I love the current display of the iPhone4, but I do at times wish for more real estate. For me, a larger display would be awesome as long as the form factor doesn't grow proportionally. I could accept a slightly wider iPhone (maybe .25") but that would be the absolute maximum. I do not want my phone to get too big. It must remain pocketable for it to serve its purpose in life. Some of these phones are getting ridiculous in my opinion. However, the great thing about all these big phones is I have the option NOT to buy them and still get a descent phone with the same OS. This is not true with the iPhone. We only have 1 option, so it needs to suit everyone.

So if I were browsing for a new iPhone5 and it had the same footprint as pervious generation iPhones but came in a 3.5" and 4" flavor, I'd buy the 4" phone hands down. I mean, why not if the overall form factor hasn't changed? The only down side is losing resolution. Therefore, if a 4" display would fit on the current footprint then I'd buy it over a 3.5".

My eyes get tired after long reading sessions on my phone. So more screen space would be welcomed. But I would not welcome it at the cost of a bigger phone.
 
Apple is going to have to do something or the iPhone will go the way of the BlackBerry: become the staunch old uncool phone that less and less people use while technology makes leaps and bounds in newer phones.

I really can't see Apple keeping this 3.5" screen much longer. It's becoming slightly embarrassing to pull out this little thing while everyone else around has 4" Androids. 4" is VERY pocketable and VERY easy to navigate. No downside really.

Those holding onto the 3.5" mantra are living in the past.
 
Bigger screen with reduced dpi?

Hell naw! I love my retina display.
 
Austin M. said:
Wow, that's a great statement, there is only one problem. Wouldn't app devs have to update the res of their apps to fit the 4 inch screen, or would the Retina Display still keep it sharp?
Click to expand...

Not at all. If the resolution stays the same, none of the apps would have to be updated. And the resolution can stay the stame, the Retina Display would still keep it sharp. Many people don't realize just how high a 320 dpi really is. The vast majority of devices including your laptop probably have a dpi of under 140. A 4" screen with a 960x640 resolution would have a dpi of ~290 which is still twice the dpi of most devices including most Macbook Pros and Apple Cinema Displays.

asleep said:
Yeah, all those "no" votes that don't support what you want are trolls...

and those who agree with you are the "smart" people. hmmm.
Click to expand...

Not at all. It's not how they vote that bothers me. It's the drive-by voting without participating to the thread.

If you clicked on this thread, you clearly did so because you have an opinion on it. The least you can do is express/explain that opinion, pro or con.
 
Last edited:
Sedrick said:
Apple is going to have to do something or the iPhone will go the way of the BlackBerry: become the staunch old uncool phone that less and less people use while technology makes leaps and bounds in newer phones.
Click to expand...

I agree with what you're saying, but unlike the BB...Apple has its ecosystem to prevent ship jumping. Many have spent a ton on apps, music, movies, etc. It's easier to get rid of a BB not suiting your needs than to just turn your back on the entire iPhone experience (even if you're craving more screen size).

Like you, I think Apple has to do something. However, I also believe Apple will not do anything until technology allows them to use it while maintaining the user experience (i.e., battery life, thin profile, etc.). If the user experience...doesn't meet the Apple criteria...then they will hold off on newer technology until the other pieces of the puzzle catches up.

Remember when the EVO came out? Everyone was amazed...big screen...4G networking...IT WAS the iPhone killer! Right up until about 2:00 p.m. when the battery died and needed recharging. It suddenly lost its coolness!

This is why Apple will not give us these incremental techno leaps...everything has to work together to provide a great user experience (at least in Steve O's mind). Until then, we wait!

Last point: The iPhone4 is absolutely no slouch! Even as it approaches a year on the market, it's still being hailed as the best smartphone on the market. It's really fast...iOS is super smooth, does everything it's advertised to do with little effort & zero bugs...lag issues. As such, do we really need a quad core processor with hyper threading and HDMI outputs...etc.? I know many of us like to compare sizes and all...but really, it's a smartphone...it does it's job and it does it well. So incremental upgrades of processor speeds and screen sizes are not what Apple is focused on. They want the entire user experience to be positive so they garner repeat customers. Apple's reputation is on the line. Imagine if they put out a phone where the signal dropped if you held the phone a certain way...they'd be all over the news! So nothing is coming out of Apple headquarters unless it meets their expectations.
 
If Apple can control the color accuracyn issue and have full RGB subpixels, I personally would like to see a 3.7-8" screen or so on the iPhone. Still dense enough, but more room for fingers.

Some of your points about Super AMOLED are not really correct though.

- A comparable SuperAMOLED display will use up more power than the current LCD. If you watch a movie with lots of black screen or have an UI theme full of black space, you save power with an AMOLED but the iPhone menus and apps have a lot of white space as with web browsing.

- Current LCD is brighter than current SAMOLED and ever so slightly more usable outside.

- Viewing angle and response time are really more academic at this point. Both technologies are more than good enough.
 
Sedrick said:
Apple is going to have to do something or the iPhone will go the way of the BlackBerry: become the staunch old uncool phone that less and less people use while technology makes leaps and bounds in newer phones.

I really can't see Apple keeping this 3.5" screen much longer. It's becoming slightly embarrassing to pull out this little thing while everyone else around has 4" Androids. 4" is VERY pocketable and VERY easy to navigate. No downside really.

Those holding onto the 3.5" mantra are living in the past.
Click to expand...

I have no problems with Apple going to a bigger screen at all but I don't want the phone to be any bigger and if Apple could mix the Retina Display with the colors of the Super AMOLED that would best of both worlds
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Brilliant post, nice work!

I find the larger displays far superior.

I'm using a couple of the "new standard" sized ultimate high end Android phones, as well as my iPhone 4. Thus I have displays in three sizes. The small 3.5" iP4, plus a 4.0" & 4.3" on the Androids.

Anyone that does not own & use the larger sizes cannot comment with accuracy. They will be left assuming, and we all know what assume means.
 
As much as I want a super amoled display, we will probably not see one anytime soon.

Jobs has this thing for IPS
 
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/532.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0.5 Mobile/8B117 Safari/6531.22.7)

Don't know or care about exact tech specs.

I just want a 4" iPhone with retina-density and equal or better performance than the current iPhone 4.

If that comes by making an iPhone screen out of bubblegum and stolen unicorn horns, I'm ok with that.
 
4 inches is becoming the standard in this industry. Once Apple includes a bigger screen, all the fanboys will praise it.
 
wikoogle said:
I love how all the trolls are voting on the poll without replying to the topic or explaining their thought process.
Click to expand...

Here is the definition of what a Troll is:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troll_(Internet)


If people vote on your open pool and don't agree with you that does not make them trolls.


I personally find the screen of the iPhone 4 much better looking than the Galaxy S. And I have not yet seen a 4" phone that matches the iPhone in terms of size, battery life and resolution.
 
Warbrain said:
Having used a 4-inch phone I don't like the size one bit. I'd stick with my 3.5" screen.
Click to expand...

There will be people that genuinely prefer the smaller screen size. However, Apple is a corporation and they need to follow consumer demand. If all screens are 4in, and then Apple has a 3.5in screen, they will definitely have a huge opportunity cost.
 
Sedrick said:
Apple is going to have to do something or the iPhone will go the way of the BlackBerry: become the staunch old uncool phone that less and less people use while technology makes leaps and bounds in newer phones.
Click to expand...

Hmmm...RIM seem to be doing just fine based on recent financial reports.

As for the OP i simply don't see it (SAMOLED) happening. They can't make enough units to meet demand. Also OLED displays only use less power when the backgrounds are absolute black whereby pixels don't have to be lit and when there's little motion on the screen. Very little of Apple's UI is black and it's a huge multimedia platform to boot.

The screen size might get bigger but evidence points to Apple sticking with IPS screens.
 
I have an iPhone and a Vibrant (Galaxy S) and the phones are NOT the same size externally. The Vibrant is a wider and longer. Not by a lot but when next to each other it is very obvious.
Should of had a picture that doesnt just show the screens but the whole phone. And the Vibrants display is a SAMOLED
 
It's a no brainer to want a 4" screen if the device size and resolution can stay the same.

As for S-AMOLED, I've been using a Nexus S, and its simply incredible. Still cant get over how insane the black levels are.. anything black on the screen blends right into the bezel.

Warbrain said:
Having used a 4-inch phone I don't like the size one bit. I'd stick with my 3.5" screen.
Click to expand...

Which phone did you use? I can understand how someone would not enjoy a 4.3" screen like some of the HTCs. But the 4" samsung screen is about the same width as the iPhone screen but taller.
 
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