iPhone 5 to Use a 4-Inch Screen?

[HERO XXL]

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Prettyplease
Prettyplease
Prettyplease
(it would definitely kill that evo envy!)

 

[jakobbokaj]

No need to make it bigger. Just give me one with a new improved antenna...

 

[rstansby]

It is possible to fit a 4" screen on a phone that is the same size as the current iPhone. This can be achieved by reducing the size of the bezel around the screen.

The Samsung Galaxy S for example, has a 4" screen. It is only .3" taller and .2" wider than the iPhone 4.

I would like to see an iPhone 5 that is the same size as the current iphone, has a home button on the front, and has a 4" screen.

 

[ranReloaded]

Bigger iPhone? ...Maybe (But screen DPI falls!). And will kick ass for games.
Smaller iPad? ...No Way!

In any case, these days the rumor mill is spinning even faster than the Xeroxes at Mountain View... Somebody thinks that if you throw enough iPhone related speculations at the wall, at least one of them will stick

 

[gnasher729]

About Digitimes, we all know Apple is in tighter control of the information leaked into the public domain than it is given credit for.

Part of good rumors control is the deliberate dissemination of false rumors among the planned accurate leaks. So, it's to be expected that our trusted rumor sources will get bad leaks as well as good ones. It's all part of the fun!

I think you will find that Apple can control _correct_ information from Apple getting out. There is nothing that they can do about rumors that are just made up by people who want to get more page views. Made up information is not under NDA, and it doesn't fall under "trade secrets". And I think a lot of what we have seen here recently is just made up.

 

[mdgm]

In any case, these days the rumor mill is spinning even faster than the Xeroxes at Mountain View... Somebody thinks that if you throw enough iPhone related speculations at the wall, at least one of them will stick

Well if you make a thousand predictions one or two of them are bound to be right. It'll sure be interesting to see if any of the rumours are true.

 

[ovrlrd]

This!

That is a pretty excellent mockup. The iPhone 5 screen size would be almost exactly .5 inches bigger than the iPhone 4, might .4 inches or something like that. That kind of design might actually work!

As I said in my earlier post, the only problem is that the screen pixel density is lowered (harder to call it retina display), and you don't really get any extra screen real estate out of it. It would still be better in terms of presentation and entertainment purposes, but it is not like you would be able to fit more text onto a single page or something. Assuming they could make the iPhone mini as well as this 4 inch screen one, it would allow people to decide which they want more.

 

[Kwill]

To sum up all the rumors, we have a half-size, 4-inch screen white iPhone with a keyboard, no home button, no memory and no app store.

 

[Narrie]

No App Store is just ridiculous! The iPhone is literally shaped with apps - The App Store is the holy grail of iOS imo. I think customers expect at least some features you have in the normal iPhone.

 

[Gryzor]

Yes PLEASE.

No THANKS.

A 4" screen on something you carry around in your pocket is ridiculously over-sized.

 

[WeegieMac]

This could be the year Apple fades into the huge shadow cast by Androids ever so rapidly growing momentum. Their sales, and universal appeal are a force to be reckoned with.

Apple's continuos bragging about having the most fart apps is getting old.

Whereas being so open that apps like "Fly On ****" is awesome, right?

 

[MacFly123]

Next iPhone 5:

It will have a 4 inch screen, however, it will magically feel smaller in your hand. It will also feel lighter because there would be no on board memory even with the slide out keyboard.

Can't wait!

Keyboard, um no!

Isn't it becoming more obvious. The new phone won't have a Home button and the area for the front camera and earpiece will be much shorter. That way the phone can be smaller and the screen can be bigger. Allowing for "swipe to Home" capabilities or multiple-touch to app switch.

The new slightly smaller phone may be the new iPhone.

If this is true I totally agree the home button will be gone and the entire thing will essentially be just the screen! That could be really nice

A step closer to skipping the iPad altogether. Bravo.

The iPad runs a whole new class of apps that are much more robust!

I think this is almost perfect.
I really hope the iPhone 5 and the rumored iPhone nano end up like this.
I hope Apple does something similar or exactly like it.

Actually those look like crap!

 

[NightFox]

To all the people saying that a 4" screen is just way to big - have you actually realised how much bigger it is(n't)?

The height of the screen would increase by a third of an inch (8mm) and the width by a fifth of an inch (5mm). As some of the mock-ups on here show, that can easily fit in the current form factor, it's not as is you're going to be lugging a slab around with you. I'd even go as far to say that if you put a 4" screen on an iPhone 4 you'd hardly notice the difference, it's not as if you're suddenly going to get loads of extra screen real estate to play with.

I'd guess Apple are rumoured to be doing this because either:

• They want their spec to keep up with the competition, a bit like the camera mega-pixel hype
• 4" screens are going to be cheaper for them to source
• They're short of ideas on how to improve the iPhone5 over the 4 to keep the annual upgraders coming through the doors - think 'The New iPhone 5. 4" Screen, Available in Black or White'

I don't think it's actually a key evolutionary step.

 

[Zaqfalcon]

A 4" screen would be fine if, as suggested, it was edge to edge and the phone didn't really get any bigger. The current crop of large screeners are too big to use one handed in my opinion. I don't think there would be any problem calling it a 'retina display' it is only marketing jargon after all and not an SI unit of measure.

If they also put a decent camera and xenon flash in it, it may actually persuade me into getting an iPhone, what with Nokia resorting to becoming Microsoft's bitch and the demise of Symbian and all

 

[Neodym]

All the mockups here showing a 4" screen iPhone without side bezels somehow look strangely disharmonic to me (probably because the upper and lower bezels are still there, albeit shrunk). My feeling is that J. Ive would not approve a phone that would look like one of those mockups.

What _might_ work optically though is a phone that has no relevant bezels around the screen at all, i.e. neither at the sides nor above and below, so it would really sport a "screen-only" front. The lower bezel could be dropped by removing the home button (--> "4-/5-finger-Homebutton-claw"), but to remove the upper bezel the speaker and sensors located there (ambience light, proximity) would have to work "through" the screen.

I don't know whether that'd be technically possible, but i vaguely remember a patent by Apple regarding a camera working "through" the screen. Maybe that approach could also be applied to other things like sensors and speakers...

 

[Piggie]

Am I the only one that thinks that MASSIVE chunk of solid black above and below the screen looks really ugly?

 

[NightFox]

People need to remember that the bottom 1.5" of the current iPhone isn't just there to house the Home button - there's actually stuff underneath that! There seems to be this idea that if you got rid of the button you could simply lose the bottom part of the phone. Same goes for the top part - it's not just there as a holder for the speaker and front camera!

 

[Darlo770]

The device probably won't be any bigger, because it's been rumoured they're getting rid of the home button, so it makes sense the the screen will just reach the edges a bit more, maybe a tiny bit wider to compensate for the ratio, i don't know. A bigger screen also paves the way for those lovely 4 finger gestures we've all seen (in place of the home button) This is the obvious move that Apple need to make to keep the iPhone in the game. Bye bye home button. You always broke anyway.

 

[125037]

No THANKS.

A 4" screen on something you carry around in your pocket is ridiculously over-sized.

Credit to NightFox;

Have you actually realised how much bigger it is(n't)?

The height of the screen would increase by a third of an inch (8mm) and the width by a fifth of an inch (5mm).

 

[arturmeireles]

Im wondering if the Iphone 5 will record in full HD 1080p like Samsung Galaxy 2s and the LG 3D.

What you guys think?

 

[Tanguyvd]

... "This year, your computer goes to eleven."

this made me laugh...
the keynote should be hosted by St. Hubbins, Tufnel and Smalls.... (please add the exploding drummer as a "one more thing")

Isn't it becoming more obvious. The new phone won't have a Home button and the area for the front camera and earpiece will be much shorter. That way the phone can be smaller and the screen can be bigger. Allowing for "swipe to Home" capabilities or multiple-touch to app switch.

The new slightly smaller phone may be the new iPhone.

this all makes sense, however how much will be pushed to iP5 and how much will be delayed until iP6?

I'm going to start my own rumor. The iPhone 5 will do dishes, take out the trash, and change the oil in my car on a regular basis.

Take it away, Macrumors!

old news, try something new!

your being sarcastic right?

Disclaimer to Mattsasa: MacRumors invented sarcasm

 

[hexx]

please no

the iPhone 4 is just fine, friend of mine has htc with bigger screen, it's not a phone, it's huge, awkward to use. and what about that with sliding keyboard? no, no again.

just stick with the current formula

 

[iPhoney:)]

If anything, they'd likely keep the width pretty much the same but increase the height of the screen so as to make it closer to a 16:9 or 16:10 ratio when held sideways.

And I hope to goodness they make it 16:10, I cant stand the fact that 16:9 is becoming the norm for computers and cell phones.

 

[Somian]

I'm sure Apple engineers are smart enough to make this work without MacHeads getting all worked up about resolution, scaling of apps etc.

In fact 4.3" is the Standard Size, even Samsung is enlarging their Galaxy S II from last years 4.0" to the current standard of 4.3". Therefore it would be appropriate for Apple to also migrate to 4.3".

Unfortunately I doubt Steve Jobs ego will allow it since it wasn't an Apple first trend.

The iPhone's screen size is perfect. If it's just a bit larger, you couldn't touch the whole screen with your thumb. I had an android 4" Phone in my hand once and it was really annoying that I had to use my second hand or strain the other one in order to reach every corner of the screen.

It's not steves Ego. It's steve's ability to think forward and know what people really want.

 

[CplBadboy]

No need to make it bigger. Just give me one with a new improved antenna...

Yeah I concur! I can see it now!!

* New 4" screen the most gorgeous display
* New dual core processor
* Amazing battery life
* The super duper tough glass 30x harder than plastic, ultra durable (just dont drop it more than 6"
* Machined from a single After eight mint.
* Amazing new antenna......but just dont hold it that way!!!!!!

Apple may be forced into radically changing its iPhone approach and have to include a feature set that competes with the rapidly popular Android. I thing the days where every iPhone update was a mere speed bumps and hardly any new features are long gone. I guess thats competition for ya. I applaud Android as they have finally forced Apple into providing customers with what they expect. Here here!