Complete 'iPhone 5' Front Panel and 4" Screen Photos

[nick_elt]

Its not the screen thats the problem as there are other 16:9 phones out. Why do they put such a huge bezel on the top and bottom? That makes it look ugly. Yes I will prob buy it but only because i prefer ios and i like the idea of an all metal unibody but it sure isnt the prettiest dimensions.

 

[tech4all]

Actually, you're just another offensive troll pretending to be a reasonable person.

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Yep because the giant, plastic S3 is beautiful right?

I like to able to hold something that isn't so slick that it could fall out of your hands and the glass shatter into a billion pieces

And if you're going to say put a case on it to protect it, then that renders your plastic argument useless since you could put a case on any phone to cover it's material.

Steve would have never allowed this.

Yea that's been stated a few times.

Its not the screen thats the problem as there are other 16:9 phones out. Why do they put such a huge bezel on the top and bottom? That makes it look ugly. Yes I will prob buy it but only because i prefer ios and i like the idea of an all metal unibody but it sure isnt the prettiest dimensions.

Just because they already exist doesn't mean it isn't a problem.

 

[Zunjine]

I just find it a bit sad that so many talk about this stuff as if it's a zero sum game, an either or. If Android is good then that makes iPhone bad and vis-versa. If big screens are good, small screens are bad. If open source is bad closed source is good. If Apple is good then Samsung is bad. If standards are good proprietary is bad. Why are we stuck in this infantilised world where you need to pick a side and then everything that your side doesn't do has to be cast out and denounced?

It is possible to be able to see the benefits of a small screen and a large screen and know that one or the other could be the right choice. It is also possible that "radical redesigns" could be something you like but you could also like refinements and improvements to already exceptional designs. You can think Apple makes great products and think Samsung makes great products, and Nokia and Microsoft and HTC and Google and Ben & Jerry! We don't have to pick sides. We don't have to. We don't. I have preferences and I choose to exercise those preferences and so does everyone else. We can live in a world where excellent choices abound and where you can choose differently from me and, SHOCK HORROR! we can BOTH be right!

Or we can go on like twelve year olds in a playground arguing about whether Sega or Nintendo is best!

 

[mcman77]

You're more than welcome to list that list and surely if its an infringing patent they'll cross that bridge when they get to it.

what for? So you can brush it off cause its not an infringing patent lol

You stated that you do not like copy cats....but you're backing apple. I'm just saying that everyone has their fair share of taking ideas, or being inspired as they put it.

 

[Moccasin]

I just find it a bit sad that so many talk about this stuff as if it's a zero sum game, an either or. If Android is good then that makes iPhone bad and vis-versa. If big screens are good, small screens are bad. If open source is bad closed source is good. If Apple is good then Samsung is bad. If standards are good proprietary is bad. Why are we stuck in this infantilised world where you need to pick a side and then deny everything that your side doesn't do has to be cast out and denounced?

It is possible to be able to see the benefits of a small screen and a large screen and know that one or the other could be the right choice. It is also possible that "radical redesigns" could be something you like but you could also like refinements and improvements to already exceptional designs. You can think Apple makes great products and think Samsung makes great products, and Nokia and Microsoft and HTC and Google and Ben & Jerry! We don't have to pick sides. We don't have to. We don't. I have preferences and I choose to exercise those preferences and so does everyone else. We can live in a world where excellent choices abound and where you can choose differently from me and, SHOCK HORROR! we can BOTH be right!

Or we can go on like twelve year olds in a playground arguing about whether Sega or Nintendo is best!

Totally agree. My brother's fiancée wanted to buy the S3 to replace her 3G and needed me to get her a discount at O2 through my work. Did I try to talk her out of it? No, because I knew from here that the S3 is a decent phone and she wanted a larger screen.

My brother got the 4S as he has a lot invested in iTunes and likes the iPhone.

It is possible for different systems to co-exist and for people's views to change. It's possible that I might get an Android phone 1 day. Or W8. At the moment I can't see that happening but I know that if I do, I'll get used to it. For now, iOS suits me best.

 

[Apple Knowledge Navigator]

Why do they put such a huge bezel on the top and bottom?

So you have something to grip when you hold the device in landscape mode.

 

[Zunjine]

Its not the screen thats the problem as there are other 16:9 phones out. Why do they put such a huge bezel on the top and bottom? That makes it look ugly. Yes I will prob buy it but only because i prefer ios and i like the idea of an all metal unibody but it sure isnt the prettiest dimensions.

The spaces above and below the screen aren't there by accident. They perform a very important job - well, several.

When you hold the phone in one hand with the bottom corner of the device pressed into the middle of your palm (that's a fairly standard way to hold something like this), you'll notice that the joint where your thumb joins your hand is basically level with the bottom edge of the screen. This means you can reach down and across the screen easily, accessing the dock and other buttons that will be low on the screen. Now, try to reach lower than that. You'll probably find that, even if you have decent motility in your hand, reaching much below that point starts to take some effort. It feels less comfortable and, more importantly, a thumb pulled so far down is far less mobile and can't easily be used to interact with the screen. If that space below the screen wasn't there, that's where you would have to reach down to in order to use your phone - and that would be a very bad design.

The same argument works when you hold the phone in two hands in landscape. Hold your phone in landscape and imagine the screen went all the way to the edge. Now, imagine that the lower right and left corners contained a virtual stick and some buttons respectively. Now try to reach them with your thumbs. Uncomfortable, right? But your thumbs rest comfortably on the lower corners of the screen precisely because of those spaces.

There are various other benefits. A nice grip space for holding the handset in landscape when holding it up, maybe above your head. A space to grip the phone will handing it to someone or taking it from that person without touching the screen.

The front panel of a smartphone is not just about output - the screen is only one element. Those top and bottom spaces are there for the purposes of ergonomics and you'd notice if they weren't.

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Totally agree. My brother's fiancée wanted to buy the S3 to replace her 3G and needed me to get her a discount at O2 through my work. Did I try to talk her out of it? No, because I knew from here that the S3 is a decent phone and she wanted a larger screen.

My brother got the 4S as he has a lot invested in iTunes and likes the iPhone.

It is possible for different systems to co-exist and for people's views to change. It's possible that I might get an Android phone 1 day. Or W8. At the moment I can't see that happening but I know that if I do, I'll get used to it. For now, iOS suits me best.

The S3 does appear to be an excellent phone. I wouldn't buy an Android phone, largely because I don't like Google's business model on this one. They make no money from the OS so this is all about hegemonic control of user data. I find that creepy. I know what Apple gets out of me - I pay them. I'm their customer. But with Google I'm the product and they're selling me to their real customers - the advertisers. Remember, if you don't pay for something you're not the customer, you're the product.

I would choose a Nokia running Windows 8 if I decided not to buy Apple anymore. I can't see that happening any time soon, however.

 

[gwelmarten]

Whoever doesn't believe this is the new iPhone is in pure denial. I will be floored if Apple revealed something different than the leaks we've seen.

Yes, but I hope they do.

 

[zombierunner]

Elongated version of the 4/4S? Really? I bloody hope these leaks are fake.

 

[kodeman53]

Its not the screen thats the problem as there are other 16:9 phones out. Why do they put such a huge bezel on the top and bottom? That makes it look ugly. Yes I will prob buy it but only because i prefer ios and i like the idea of an all metal unibody but it sure isnt the prettiest dimensions.

So you have something to grip when you hold the device in landscape mode.

miniroll32 - Thanks for educating the ignorant.

 

[Zunjine]

Elongated version of the 4/4S? Really? I bloody hope these leaks are fake.

Leaving aside the number of other changes (new case, new screen, new camera, new speakers most likely, new connectivity options, etc.)

You'd rather one that's both longer and wider, then? Why?

I'm just really curious about this objection. It's longer but not wider in order to fit in a 4", 16:9 display. Why is this, in and of itself, a problem for people?

I've only seen two reasons given for this:

1) I don't like the way it looks - but that's entirely circular. It's stating a preference to back up another preference. Also, new things often don't like right at first. When colour film first came along many notable film makers talked it down because it looked, to their eyes, terrible. I don't consider initial responses based on preferences like beauty and ugliness to be valid.

2) it will be awkward to hold and use! But this is, a) impossible to tell from pictures and b) extremely unlikely anyway. It's only going to be, what, 1 cm taller, maybe 1.5? Not really a large difference in size. After five minutes holding the thing you'd stop noticing the difference.

 

[Fiddler70]

Leaving aside the number of other changes (new case, new screen, new camera, new speakers most likely, new connectivity options, etc.)

You'd rather one that's both longer and wider, then? Why?

I'm just really curious about this objection. It's longer but not wider in order to fit in a 4", 16:9 display. Why is this, in and of itself, a problem for people?

I've only seen two reasons given for this:

1) I don't like the way it looks - but that's entirely circular. It's stating a preference to back up another preference. Also, new things often don't like right at first. When colour film first came along many notable film makers talked it down because it looked, to their eyes, terrible. I don't consider initial responses based on preferences like beauty and ugliness to be valid.

2) it will be awkward to hold and use! But this is, a) impossible to tell from pictures and b) extremely unlikely anyway. It's only going to be, what, 1 cm taller, maybe 1.5? Not really a large difference in size. After five minutes holding the thing you'd stop noticing the difference.

Good post.

Already after looking at those pics for 2 minutes, my iPhone 4 looks short. I think it's great Apple is choosing a different way.The point that it's hard to reach the other end of the screen with your thumb on a one hand device is a big one. Many people have hands that are not that big.

- More space when typing messages (especially answers to SMS)

- Longer stretches visible in maps

- More options visible in time tables-search results

For those who want a bigger screen there will be a mini iPad soon anyway! It's great to try a new idea on the phone. It's true that for app developers its a bit of a pain, but we can make it work!

 

[notabadname]

I think the closer availability of a new launch product to its announcement date makes these leaks more likely. How do you produce literally millions of parts for millions of phones, and not have a leak? And the industry simply has an increasing thirst to know what Apple is doing with each release. There doesn't seem to be a similar media interest in the next Galaxy or Android product, and therefore less motivation for insiders to leak parts info. Apple is simply a victim of its own success. And short of Defense Department security measures, these leaks are simply impossible to stop.

And why all the " this wouldn't have happened with Steve Jobs, but now with Tim Cook, security is at a loss"? As if leaks didn't occur with Steve (such as a complete working prototype). Tim's security record has certainly been no worse than the prior benchmark. We've seen parts, but Gizmodo hasn't actually been able to test the next gen phone yet. Cut Tim some slack.

 

[Jimrod]

Leaving aside the number of other changes (new case, new screen, new camera, new speakers most likely, new connectivity options, etc.)

You'd rather one that's both longer and wider, then? Why?

I'm just really curious about this objection. It's longer but not wider in order to fit in a 4", 16:9 display. Why is this, in and of itself, a problem for people?

I've only seen two reasons given for this:

1) I don't like the way it looks - but that's entirely circular. It's stating a preference to back up another preference. Also, new things often don't like right at first. When colour film first came along many notable film makers talked it down because it looked, to their eyes, terrible. I don't consider initial responses based on preferences like beauty and ugliness to be valid.

2) it will be awkward to hold and use! But this is, a) impossible to tell from pictures and b) extremely unlikely anyway. It's only going to be, what, 1 cm taller, maybe 1.5? Not really a large difference in size. After five minutes holding the thing you'd stop noticing the difference.

Just a brief point - I watched quite a few YouTube videos on my iPhone 4 last night, (just random ones really) and noticed most were not reaching the edges of the screen in landscape orientation so were not even 3:2 format - the "stretched" 4" screen leaked phone with 16:9 format would gain nothing over the existing iPhones for those kinds of videos except more black space at the sides.

I can't see HQ films being the mainstay of iPhone viewing, far more likely in-fact is general YouTube vids and the like - it's a phone after all. The iPad makes sense as a video device as it's comfortable to watch, a stretched iPhone seems like it's being done for the sake of it as competition do - not very "Apple".

A bigger screen is definitely preferable as smartphone use has changed rapidly and they are now basically used as small web-browsers or even mini work laptops - a merely stretched screen gains no real benefits in most uses, the phone wouldn't have to be much bigger to incorporate a 4.3" - 3:2 ratio screen which is just about the sweet spot for size vs convenience now the market has matured.

Many say they don't want a bigger screen - as long as the phone doesn't increase too much in size and remains easy to handle (tapered edges would probably make it more comfortable than the current design even if bigger!) I don't see any real negative to it and definite positives. Any extra size can house more battery to sustain life despite bigger screen.

Example below (I've wheeled this out before, just a quick photoshop but merely a demonstration of the not-much-bigger form factor required for this!)

 

[matthijst]

Wouldve liked a bigger screen instead of a stretched higher screen.
Wouldve liked a new design instead of the same old, same old, iPhone 4.

They changed things after the 3&3GS, so why not after the 4&4S?

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Steve would have never allowed this.

Steve allowed himself to die of cancer, cause he refused to seek real treatment and tried alternative medicine.
So yeah, Steve was a smart guy, buy stop with all the BS.

When Steve was around we didnt get part leaks, we got the whole damn phone from a bar.

 

[Zunjine]

Just a brief point - I watched quite a few YouTube videos on my iPhone 4 last night, (just random ones really) and noticed most were not reaching the edges of the screen in landscape orientation so were not even 3:2 format - the "stretched" 4" screen leaked phone with 16:9 format would gain nothing over the existing iPhones for those kinds of videos except more black space at the sides.

I can't see HQ films being the mainstay of iPhone viewing, far more likely in-fact is general YouTube vids and the like - it's a phone after all. The iPad makes sense as a video device as it's comfortable to watch, a stretched iPhone seems like it's being done for the sake of it as competition do - not very "Apple".

A bigger screen is definitely preferable as smartphone use has changed rapidly and they are now basically used as small web-browsers or even mini work laptops - a merely stretched screen gains no real benefits in most uses, the phone wouldn't have to be much bigger to incorporate a 4.3" - 3:2 ratio screen which is just about the sweet spot for size vs convenience now the market has matured.

Many say they don't want a bigger screen - as long as the phone doesn't increase too much in size and remains easy to handle (tapered edges would probably make it more comfortable than the current design even if bigger!) I don't see any real negative to it and definite positives. Any extra size can house more battery to sustain life despite bigger screen.

Example below (I've wheeled this out before, just a quick photoshop but merely a demonstration of the not-much-bigger form factor required for this!)


Image

You say that there's no benefit from a taller screen yet most handsets now offer a 16:9 screen - surely the benefits of this aspect ratio are all around us. Almost all TV is now 16:9 and increasingly that's the standard for home video. Yes, a lot of Youtube stuff is in older formats but you can't have everything. 16:9 is the mainstream video standard.

But most of the time you're using a smartphone in portrait, not landscape, and there are lots of reasons why you might want more vertical space but very few for wanting width which would certainly make the handset harder to hold (I don't think it's true that it wouldn't have to be much bigger to include a 4.3" 3:2 screen - pictures with no frame of reference really don't help it that regard. I mean, that tapered design probably isn't even possible right now.

Anything that uses a scrolling interface like Twitter and Facebook will benefit from this. Also, the additional space will mean that the keyboard covers less space when you type so anything that you type into benefits because the viewable area of the document/form is larger.

These are all pretty tired and easily refuted arguments as far as I can tell. Just my opinion of course.

 

[Jimrod]

You say that there's no benefit from a taller screen yet most handsets now offer a 16:9 screen - surely the benefits of this aspect ratio are all around us. Almost all TV is now 16:9 and increasingly that's the standard for home video. Yes, a lot of Youtube stuff is in older formats but you can't have everything. 16:9 is the mainstream video standard.

But most of the time you're using a smartphone in portrait, not landscape, and there are lots of reasons why you might want more vertical space but very few for wanting width which would certainly make the handset harder to hold (I don't think it's true that it wouldn't have to be much bigger to include a 4.3" 3:2 screen - pictures with no frame of reference really don't help it that regard.

Anything that uses a scrolling interface like Twitter and Facebook will benefit from this. Also, the additional space will mean that the keyboard covers less space when you type so anything that you type into benefits because the viewable area of the document/form is larger.

These are all pretty tired and easily refuted arguments as far as I can tell. Just my opinion of course.

Yeah, I should have stuck an image of the current phone in the pic, the sizes are there though. The point that phones are held mainly in portrait is exactly the reason why more width would be good - larger text, easier to read and write messages on (larger keyboard too) which will not happen with a longer only screen.

Edit* Here you go:

A little irrelevant in any case as it's only my view on what I'd personally like and on my mock-up I made the screen fit nearer the bezel as I'd presume manufacturing has improved since the iPhone's inception to the degree this wouldn't be an issue...

 

[Zunjine]

Yeah, I should have stuck an image of the current phone in the pic, the sizes are there though. The point that phones are held mainly in portrait is exactly the reason why more width would be good - larger text, easier to read and write messages on (larger keyboard too) which will not happen with a longer only screen.

The keyboard would be barely noticeably wider - a couple of millimetres would make very little difference to the overall ease of typing. As for text, why would a wider screen help more than a taller one? Again, leaving aside that the screen will be only a few millimetres wider, text can be formatted for a longer column - a taller screen would fit more lines while a wider one would fit longer sentences - in the end that makes little difference. A well formatted website would be just as easy to read either way.

Text is easily readable on the current screen. On a screen 10mm (1cm) wider each character would be about 2 pixels wider. Say you had 45 characters to a line, a screen 10mm wider would allow 0.2 extra mm of width for each character. If I have my sums right, that's less than two extra pixels per character. At 326 ppi you've got 8.15 pixels in a millimetre - so that's 0.2 X 8.15 to get the per character increase in size. Please, someone tell me if I have my figures wrong.

 

[ade2bee]

As a ex-'buy everything they make' Apple fanboy who saw the light, I am extremely pleased with my Samsung Galaxy, huge real estate for texting, website, blogging etc, etc, half the weight, not made out of 2 pieces of glass to break easily,SD storage extension, exchangeable battery

I'm LMAO! st these iPhone 4 'stretched' pics... wow! so you'rte going to be able to watch wide-screen movies! ... ha ha ha... Wake up peeps, you know this is what it's going to look like, no wonder Tim was trying to clamp down on security... Just think next March comes the Samsung Galaxy S4!!!

 

[pandamonia]

You'll be back.

after 5 years.

No i wont.

Im not paying 500GBP for apples small evolution of the same phone year after year.

 

[Jimrod]

The keyboard would be barely noticeably wider - a couple of millimetres would make very little difference to the overall ease of typing. As for text, why would a wider screen help more than a taller one? Again, leaving aside that the screen will be only a few millimetres wider, text can be formatted for a longer column - a taller screen would fit more lines while a wider one would fit longer sentences - in the end that makes little difference. A well formatted website would be just as easy to read either way.

Text is easily readable on the current screen. On a screen 10mm (1cm) wider each character would be about 2 pixels wider. Say you had 45 characters to a line, a screen 10mm wider would allow 0.2 extra mm of width for each character. If I have my sums right, that's less than two extra pixels per character. At 326 ppi you've got 8.15 pixels in a millimetre - so that's 0.2 X 8.15 to get the per character increase in size. Please, someone tell me if I have my figures wrong.

Ok, this is the current 3.5" screen vs a same ratio (3:2) 4.3" screen which I think would be the largest necessary for a phone, the current 4.7/8" phones are getting a little beyond easily portable and usable with one hand. This is the same as in the mock-up I did. Obviously not "actual size" as this will depend on what it's viewed on - just in-case anyone says it's not right... The ratio is correct-ish.

I think the added width, though not massive is a very noticeable improvement. We all have our own opinions though. I find the leaked prototype proportionally unsatisfying and un-Apple. Apple are known for their fondness of golden ratios and that phone has none, the camera doesn't sit well in the glass strip on the back either - it's getting a little more like the Samsung's in that regard if it really is the next design. I do like the bevelled flush fitting antenna band compared to the 4/4S though - that's the only step forward in design for me.

 

[pandamonia]

The iPhone 5 is different in pretty much every way than the iPhone 4 and 4S except for the design of the shell.

How?

ios 6 looks like ios 5, apart from you lose google maps.

same old boring design from 3 years ago.

few more pixels at the end of the screen. 4" still to small for a smartphone in todays world.

same crap battery capacity.

Same locked down OS.

Whats new then?

 

[Zunjine]

Ok, this is the current 3.5" screen vs a same ratio (3:2) 4.3" screen which I think would be the largest necessary for a phone, the current 4.7/8" phones are getting a little beyond easily portable and usable. This is the same as in the mock-up I did.

Image

I think the added width, though not massive is a very noticeable improvement. We all have our own opinions though. I find the leaked prototype proportionally unsatisfying and un-Apple. Apple are know for their fondness of golden ratios and that phone has none, the camera doesn't sit will in the band on the back either - it's getting a little more like the Samsung's in that regard if it really is the next design. I do like the bevelled flush fitting band compared to the 4/4S though - that's the only step forward in design for me.

I think the new one looks pretty amazing but, yes, that's all opinion and personal preference. I similarly think the screen up there, the 4.3" one, looks massive! You're now getting into two hands needed to use the thing mode. With a longer screen you get more space but you also keep it small enough for one handed use.

We'll wait and see I guess. But don't underestimate Apple's design team. This phone has been in the works for two or more years. They made their choices for good reasons.

 

[pandamonia]

Ok, this is the current 3.5" screen vs a same ratio (3:2) 4.3" screen which I think would be the largest necessary for a phone, the current 4.7/8" phones are getting a little beyond easily portable and usable. This is the same as in the mock-up I did. Obviously not "actual size" as this will depend on what it's viewed on - just in-case anyone says it's not right... The ratio is correct-ish.

Image

I think the added width, though not massive is a very noticeable improvement. We all have our own opinions though. I find the leaked prototype proportionally unsatisfying and un-Apple. Apple are know for their fondness of golden ratios and that phone has none, the camera doesn't sit will in the band on the back either - it's getting a little more like the Samsung's in that regard if it really is the next design. I do like the bevelled flush fitting band compared to the 4/4S though - that's the only step forward in design for me.

4.8" beyond portable? are you kidding?

Do you have girls hands and small pockets or something?

The S3 fits my pocket better than my iphone due to the slim profile and shape.

i use my phone with 2 hands most of the time anyway unless im doing simple tasks which still can be done easily with 1 hand.

 

[Zunjine]

4.8" beyond portable? are you kidding?

Do you have girls hands and small pockets or something?

The S3 fits my pocket better than my iphone due to the slim profile and shape.

i use my phone with 2 hands most of the time anyway unless im doing simple tasks which still can be done easily with 1 hand.

Does anyone think this guy is overcompensating?