New iPhone could have 3.9" screen (1024x768 @ 326dpi)

[Rodimus Prime]

They won't do it for a couple reasons:
A 4:3 ratio is not really appropriate on a phone like it is on a tablet
The resolution is not an even multiplier of the existing iPhone resolution, developers will have to develop for it as if it's a totally separate device

If they make the screen bigger, they'll probably just keep the current resolution. It won't be quite as dense as the original iPhone, but it'll be around 300 which is good enough to be considered retina. Most people probably wouldn't even be able to tell the clarity difference.

The resolution is not the problem. It is the aspect ratio change that would be the real problem.

 

[terraphantm]

The resolution is not the problem. It is the aspect ratio change that would be the real problem.

That's basically what I said if you read my post.

Resolution does matter though. Apple wouldn't want existing apps to look distorted. The only way to achieve that is to not have the need to interpolate pixels.

 

[Haoshiro]

That's basically what I said if you read my post.

Resolution does matter though. Apple wouldn't want existing apps to look distorted. The only way to achieve that is to not have the need to interpolate pixels.

Yeah, iPad already handled that, just center it in the screen until the developers update it (and yeah, that's actually a viable solution for ANY resolution change).

 

[terraphantm]

Yeah, iPad already handled that, just center it in the screen until the developers update it (and yeah, that's actually a viable solution for ANY resolution change).

That would look so bad though. Not a viable solution for a company as obsessed with aesthetics like apple. It passes on the iPad because iPhone apps are not the primary purpose of that device.

 

[Skullbussa]

Apple is not going to make any concessions to the size of the screen in order to keep things nice and tidy with the iPad. There is simply too much at stake to play that game. I fully trust they will find a way to make the iPhone the best *phone* as possible and then fix the pixel issue on the backside.

Anything less than a 4", nearly bezel-to-bezel screen is absolute suicide on Apple's part. Why? Because anything less than that would make the iPhone a second-rate device in comparison to the devices Samsung and Motorola already have on the market. And Apple isn't happy playing second fiddle to those guys or anyone else.

 

[Haoshiro]

Apple is not going to make any concessions to the size of the screen in order to keep things nice and tidy with the iPad. There is simply too much at stake to play that game. I fully trust they will find a way to make the iPhone the best *phone* as possible and then fix the pixel issue on the backside.

Anything less than a 4", nearly bezel-to-bezel screen is absolute suicide on Apple's part. Why? Because anything less than that would make the iPhone a second-rate device in comparison to the devices Samsung and Motorola already have on the market. And Apple isn't happy playing second fiddle to those guys or anyone else.

There will be some concession if they change the resolution and aspect ratio.

Even if that is to not show non-iPhone5 optimized apps in the app store, they will do something. Having parity with the iPad resolution isn't a compromise or a concession, though, it's a full-blown upgrade (and at 3.93" you'd be splitting hairs to say it's not 4")

As for suicide: I think it's a safe bet to say that even if the next iPhone still had a 3.5" screen their market share would continue to grow. This isn't a matter of escalation, you don't need a bigger screen, increasing the size has to end somewhere or we'll end up with 7" screens. Any claims that 4" should be standard is purely opinion, we're talking about a pocket phone here.

I'd venture a guess that most people would consider a bigger screen a bonus, but absolutely not a reason to upgrade in and of itself.

 

[damant]

there are many (myself included) would "upgrade" to the next iphone (5?) just for a larger screen ...
3.5 is just fine for a "phone" but when you start using it's "smart" features, 3.5 is too small !

to be honest , except for the small screen, the 4s is pretty good .... that leave only the screen to be "improved" or "upgrade" for the next iphone.

almost every iphone users i talked to wants a larger screen .

 

[Orlandu]

There were plenty of phones with 3.7" and larger screens last year. Yet the iPhone 4S still sold extremely well. So it seems to me that the 3.5" isn't an issue with most people.

I went from a Blackberry Curve to an iPhone 4. The increase in size wasn't too much for me to mind, but it still took some getting used to. Anything bigger would feel uncomfortable when loose in my pocket and awkward to hold to my head to talk. That's besides all the resolution arguments. I just don't see Apple changing their mantra because a small minority are crying for larger. If iPhone sales tapered off and the new model did horribly in sales, I'm sure they'd reevaluate their position on screen size and resolution. But not this year. The New iPhone (which I'm also guessing will drop the number like the New iPad) will be the same size and resolution.

 

[Retrosonic]

Grow, Man, Grow...

As for suicide: I think it's a safe bet to say that even if the next iPhone still had a 3.5" screen their market share would continue to grow. This isn't a matter of escalation, you don't need a bigger screen, increasing the size has to end somewhere or we'll end up with 7" screens. Any claims that 4" should be standard is purely opinion, we're talking about a pocket phone here.


>>>>>No It would not. Another 3.5 screen would be a disaster for Apple. The bad press they would get in the tech reviews would create a marketing crisis. They would be perceived as technologically backward......and that is a tech companys worst nightmare.

 

[fertilized-egg]

No It would not. Another 3.5 screen would be a disaster for Apple.

That's exactly what was said in 2011 and yes, iPhone 4S has been a disaster right?

I do think the new iPhone will have a larger screen but probably with a less bezel to keep the similar overall size.

 

[terraphantm]

There will be some concession if they change the resolution and aspect ratio.

Even if that is to not show non-iPhone5 optimized apps in the app store, they will do something. Having parity with the iPad resolution isn't a compromise or a concession, though, it's a full-blown upgrade (and at 3.93" you'd be splitting hairs to say it's not 4")

As for suicide: I think it's a safe bet to say that even if the next iPhone still had a 3.5" screen their market share would continue to grow. This isn't a matter of escalation, you don't need a bigger screen, increasing the size has to end somewhere or we'll end up with 7" screens. Any claims that 4" should be standard is purely opinion, we're talking about a pocket phone here.

I'd venture a guess that most people would consider a bigger screen a bonus, but absolutely not a reason to upgrade in and of itself.

I really doubt they'd go with the iPad resolution. A 4:3 ratio is awkward on a phone (too square), stetching apps or having black borders all around would just look bad, and there would be a decent bit of redesign required to update existing apps.

So far the most plausible solutions to me are:

1. Just increasing the screen size to 3.9 without touching the resolution. The pixel density would still be 295ppi, which is good enough to call retina (most people probably wouldn't be able to tell that the pixels are bigger). Existing apps wouldn't be affected at all.
   
2. Increasing the vertical resolution without touching the horizontal (1152x640). That way the pixel density could remain the same, and the size of the whole phone wouldn't increase much if they make the home button and speaker areas smaller. Existing apps can be letter-boxed; not ideal, but doesn't look nearly as unprofessional as having black borders on all sides. The aspect ratio is also very close to 16:9, which would be better for things like video.

 

[antseg]

No It would not. Another 3.5 screen would be a disaster for Apple. The bad press they would get in the tech reviews would create a marketing crisis. They would be perceived as technologically backward......and that is a tech companys worst nightmare.

You're kidding me. Do you think the average person reads tech reviews?

People on here will care. My mother and girlfriend will not care. Heck, my brother probably won't care either, and he knows a decent amount about technology and phones.

Most people like the iPhone because it has all the Apps they would need and they've already gotten used to iOS. It also has a style factor to it. Unless you can get people into a place like Best Buy to try phones and phone sizes, I doubt the average person will move on from his/her "outdated" iPhone.

 

[twigman08]

First post here, so I'll say hey.

Though I keep reading in every thread "the iPhone keeps selling really well with a 3.5" screen, why change it? Have any of y'all stopped and thought that the iPhone is selling really well in general DESPITE having a 3.5" screen? What's stopping it from having a 4" screen and selling even better? Honestly whats stopping it is Apple.

I understand the argument that it still needs to be pocketable. Though I have held many phones out on the market today that have a ~4" display but are extremly close to the iPhone 4S overall size. Redesign the home button, and get rid of all that bezel space we have! Before in displays you almost had to have all that bezel space. Now we are seeing more and more displays coming out from phones all the way to TVs that have a very small bezel. The new iPhone could easily have a 4" screen and keep the overall size extremely close to the 4S. Also think about how that would be an amazing thing for Apple to say in the Keynote. That could be a selling point, bigger screen on the same size device!

I do not think the iPhone sells so well because it has a 3.5" screen. I honestly think the iPhone sells so well because it is an iPhone.

Also Apple could easily from admitting they were "wrong" in the perfect screen size. One, that was from like 2007! In technology age that is a long time ago. Times change. Plus I actually remember Steve Jobs in a keynote actually admitting Apple was "wrong" before (though they didn't quite just spit it out lol).

This was a long first post, but I believe Apple could update the screen size to 4" keep the phone very close to the current overall size, and I could see it being one of the best selling iPhones yet. An iPhone sells so well because it is an iPhone, not the screen size.

 

[blairh]

Gruber doesn't think Apple will release an iPhone any wider or taller than the current form factor and I'm starting to believe such a theory. I don't think Apple would decrease the width of the iPhone from 3GS to 4 and then simply increase it again at this point.

My gut says the next iPhone will be the same height and width of the 4S and either have a 4" screen (a la the Verge theory) or simply stay at 3.5". I want a larger screen just like most of us but the reality is that the 4S is the best selling iPhone to date and an updated model with LTE and perhaps a new backing like aluminum would be enough to keep most consumers happy.

 

[OceanView]

I saw my friends Android phone today.
I was shocked at how nice the phone looked with its bigger screen.
The iPhone looks dated, I was really shocked.
Honestly, if the next iPhone does not have a bigger screen, I'm getting an Android with a bigger screen.
I Know all the Android haters are gonna say crap but I don't care, Apple needs to bring a bigger screen to the market. It's time Apple.

 

[Sedrick]

Any claims that 4" should be standard is purely opinion, we're talking about a pocket phone here.

I'd venture a guess that most people would consider a bigger screen a bonus, but absolutely not a reason to upgrade in and of itself.

4" is certainly close enough to the iPhone size to be 'pocketable'. Don't exaggerate.

You said it yourself: "most people would consider a bigger screen a bonus". It's not a reason to upgrade, but all things being equal, it is. Problem, is all things haven't been equal, with the iPhone and OS being a tidy little package that beats out the competition time and time again.

If Apple sticks with the tiny 3.5" again, they'll have proved (doubly so) that they have nothing else left to marvel us with and while they're riding this wave now, it won't last forever.