What If the iPhone 5GS came out instead of the iPhone 6 next year? My Take. Yours?

[Starfyre]

So the majority of consumers feel the iPhone 5S is not as big of an upgrade as others Apple have released. What if next year for any reason, Apple was unable to release an iPhone 6 for design reasons or even just to make a little more money... and came out with an iPhone 5...GS (same overall design as iPhone 5 or 5S).

Heres my take on a potential feature highlights list of the iPhone 5GS...

1. A7X Processor
Quad core CPU in addition to the already quad core GPU. (iPhone 5S has dual core CPU and quad core GPU)

2. 4GB RAM
The iPhone 5S was forward thinking with its 64-bit architecture... but the 1GB of RAM doesn't help with the additional memory it took per instruction that become double the size. The 5S's forward thinking is now realized with the 5GS featuring 4GB RAM.

3. Retina+ Display
Featuring an even better 1080p IPS display with even better colors. Its not just the resolution, but the colors look much richer in your photos and videos with even more depth.

4. 10.1 Megapixel Camera, 10% Increase Sensor Size, Tri-LED Flash
More MP on a bigger sensor, with three LEDs synchronized when you shoot a photo for even truer colors that are not too bright, warm, saturated, or cool.

5. Compressed Memory
OSX Mavericks brought you amazing new technologies to help conserve battery life, some of that came from iOS... with the 5GS, you get the same fast compression and decompression of memory with improved read/write efficiency, CPU usage, battery life, and multicore aware... great for the new quad-core A7X.

6. iOS 8.x
New features focusing on power savings from OSX Mavericks.

7. Battery Life - Same as 5GS and 5
The iPhone 5GS demands more power for all of the better, faster, and upgraded hardware... without compromising the existing great battery life of the 5GS and the 5.

(Would be amusing to see a Youtube video made of this...) What do you think? Do you have some other take on what this device could be like?

 

[user-name-here]

So the majority of consumers feel the iPhone 5S is not as big of an upgrade as others Apple have released. What if next year for any reason, Apple was unable to release an iPhone 6 for design reasons or even just to make a little more money... and came out with an iPhone 5...GS.

Heres my take on some of the most important features of the iPhone 5GS...

1. A7X Processor
Quad core CPU in addition to the already quad core GPU. (iPhone 5S has dual core CPU and quad core GPU)

2. 4GB RAM
The iPhone 5S was forward thinking with its 64-bit architecture... but the 2GB of RAM doesn't help with the additional memory it took per instruction that become double the size. The 5S's forward thinking is now realized with the 5GS featuring 4GB RAM.

3. Retina+ Display
Featuring an even better 1080p IPS display. It just looks better.

4. 10.1 Megapixel Camera, 10% Increase Sensor Size, Tri-LED Flash
More MP on a bigger sensor, with three LEDs synchronized when you shoot a photo for even truer colors that are not too bright, warm, saturated, or cool.

5. Compressed Memory
OSX Mavericks brought you amazing new technologies to help conserve battery life, some of that came from iOS... with the 5GS, you get the same fast compression and decompression of memory with improved read/write efficiency, CPU usage, battery life, and multicore aware... great for the new quad-core A7X.

6. iOS 8.x
New features focusing on power savings from OSX Mavericks.

7. Battery Life - Same as 5GS and 5
The iPhone 5GS demands more power for all of the better, faster, and upgraded hardware... without compromising the existing great battery life of the 5GS and the 5.

4GB of RAM?!

At most I would expect 2GB of RAM, 4 seems out of the question.

No way Apple goes with a 1080p display since they only care about the "retina" moniker which is around 318ppi.

Personally I've learned to be extremely bearish when it comes to iPhone improvements from year to year. I would only expect the following for next years iPhone:
4.3 inch screen
Improved processor
New design
Wifi AC
LTE-A

 

[cristovao]

I seriously doubt we'll see the same form factor next year. Stranger things have happened though so anything is possible.

I am a little concerned that the much anticipated screen size bump may not come to fruition but I have nothing to base that on but simple fear (since I want it so bad).

 

[Bacong]

why not just call it the iPhone 6?

 

[Col Ronson]

Why do people think the upgrade from the 5 to the 5S was not that much?

The 3G to 3GS wasn't anything special just a camera and cpu
4 to 4S was nothing but faster CPU and better camera and siri
5 to 5S is fater cpu, camera, and touch id (pretty big if u ask me)

the "S" upgrades are meant to be incremental improvements, not something hilariously drastic.

also 5GS sounds stupid, why is it called the 5GS? we already have a 5S, which is an improvement of the 5. The next one to come is the 6.

and i must be the only person who doesn't want a bigger screen. i remember for the first 10 years of my cell phone having life, the small phones were cool because they were small. Its nice to have something small, and non-bulky in your pocket. But now apparently bigger is better? meh.... lol i dont think so. Big screens is a niche market, not a majority want.

 

[Vetvito]

There will be no iPhone 5GS or iPhone 6 next year.

The next iPhone will be a great design and will be called the "iPhone". We shall call it the "New iPhone".

It will start over like the new iPad.

Book it.

 

[luked14]

Why would it be called a 5GS? Would it have 5G network speeds?

 

[user-name-here]

There will be no iPhone 5GS or iPhone 6 next year.

The next iPhone will be a great design and will be called the "iPhone". We shall call it the "New iPhone".

It will start over like the new iPad.

Book it.

I like that idea, but then do we just call the 2 models the "iPhone" and "iPhone C"?

 

[burnout8488]

The only reason the iPhone 3G had a G, was because it introduced 3G speeds to the iPhone for the first time. The G wasn't a spec-bump indicator - it was a network technology indicator.

"S" is for signifying spec-bumps, and they already did that.

 

[thatoneguy82]

Why would it be called a 5GS? Would it have 5G network speeds?

My thoughts exactly. The 3G/3GS were released due to the fact that they were capable of 3G speeds since the original iPhone was only 2G. Naming it "5GS" would absolutely make no sense.

 

[Vetvito]

I like that idea, but then do we just call the 2 models the "iPhone" and "iPhone C"?

Yes.

iPhone and iPhone Color.

Next year I suspect the 5S will be discontinued. Leaving only the new iPhone and iPhone C(5S with colored shells).

 

[syd430]

This was actually quite painful to read and very poorly researched. For starters, the 5S is objectively the biggest leap for any S model. The performance gain is greater than 3G -> 3GS and 4 -> 4S. It a addition, the inclusion of Touch ID in the 5S is arguably more significant than Siri in the 4S. It is also the first S model available in physically different exteriors.

Second, introducing another incremental spec upgrade with no new design in laughable. Introducing a new form factor in addition to a spec bump on the 5S (with same design) is plausible, but releasing only a new model with the same design as the 5S is not going to happen.

As with the processors, The X model processors, A5X, A6X etc, have always exclusively powered Apples tablets as the only major change in the processor is significantly higher GPU performance to power the much higher amount of pixels. There is no indication that X model processors will be introduced to the iphone line, especially if the screen stays at 4" as you say.

4 GB ram? This is not going to happen anytime soon. Historically, it will be well outside the trend based on previous models stretching back to 2007. Please read Anandtech hardware guide for the 5S for a more a more detailed analysis in regards to a future roadmap for RAM.

1080p+ display? No, developers will have to redo their apps and there is little benefit in going for a higher resolution in a 4" in screen. The only plausible time for when a new resolution is introduced is when a new screen size is introduced at this stage.

I didn't bother reading the rest.

 

[powerbook911]

The only thing about this speed increase though, it is phenomenal on paper.

However, the 3G to 3GS felt so significant because those earlier phones were a bit lagging/slow. Every little speed increase was extremely noticeable.

The new iPhone is crazy fast, but it doesn't feel like as much of a bump because the 5 was still getting the job done ok.

I think there will be a 6 next year with slightly larger screen.

Finger print ID is pretty big because even without a passcode, swiping feels like it takes longer.

 

[Michael CM1]

The only thing about this speed increase though, it is phenomenal on paper.

However, the 3G to 3GS felt so significant because those earlier phones were a bit lagging/slow. Every little speed increase was extremely noticeable.

The new iPhone is crazy fast, but it doesn't feel like as much of a bump because the 5 was still getting the job done ok.

I think there will be a 6 next year with slightly larger screen.

Finger print ID is pretty big because even without a passcode, swiping feels like it takes longer.

People haven't figured out a lot of this yet. You can tick off a bunch of specs on a phone to wow people in an ad. But what good do they do? The whole 64-bit thing wouldn't matter if it wasn't getting backed up with nasty speed improvements. But then again, it's like you said: the 5 isn't exactly slow. I've got a 4S, and it's not slow either. Its main problem is Verizon 3G, which was OK a couple of years ago and slow as molasses now.

A larger phone is a major possibility, perhaps splitting the line into a 5-inch phone and 4-inch phone. But making it 1080p for the sake of making it 1080p makes no sense. If you can't see the extra pixels from the current resolution to 1080p you're just wasting battery.

Computers have done this for a while. Processor bumps and RAM increases were good, but most computers still have the ultra-slow hard disks that are huge bottlenecks. Then if people buy one with a flash drive and connect it to some 500 kbps Internet connection, what good did all that extra speed do with all of your Internet tasks?

Touch ID sounds just awesome before I can even get my phone, because you swipe a bazillion times a day. If the tech matures and gets used for more, then it's even bigger. Add in the sneaky iBeacon technology, and Apple could've introduced the tech to get us to purchase stuff from our phones and not need wallets.

Seriously. You get me a phone that keeps me from needing a wallet aside from cash -- pay using phone, get receipt digitally -- and you've got a game-changer. The iPhone took me from four items to carry -- keys, wallet, phone, iPod -- to three. EVENTUALLY I think we'll all just have a phone with maybe a case slip for cash, but someone has to figure that out first.

 

[mattbaar26]

Why in the world would they make a tri LED flash? People rarely use flash to begin with

 

[Michael CM1]

Why in the world would they make a tri LED flash? People rarely use flash to begin with

I don't think he read the description about the two-tone that it adjusts lighting on both to arrive at a best-case light color. I mean I guess a third LED would help just like RGB is better than RG, RB or GB colors on a display. But I don't think it's something Apple will work on after just releasing a two-tone.

 

[JayLenochiniMac]

The 3G to 3GS wasn't anything special just a camera and cpu

This is false. 3G to 3GS added the following:

Improved battery life
Faster processor/more memory
Better camera, with autofocus and tap to focus
Video
Compass
Oleophobic coating
Voice Control
HSDPA implementation (allows faster download speeds)

In contrast, original iPhone to 3G involved only 3G speed, A-GPS and a new form factor.

As someone mentioned, 3G to 3GS felt significantly faster than 5 to 5S, but only because the 3G was way too slow whereas the 5 is still fast.

 

[boomhower]

Apple would lose a ton of money and be a laughing stock. Not changing the form factor for three years would be nuts. I'm a big fanboy but I'm not keeping the same design for three years, I'd suck it up and get an Android.

 

[*~Kim~*]

The next phone has to be the iPhone 6 in my opinion. The name 3G (and consequently 3GS) came from the fact that 3G Internet capabilities were first included in that generation of iPhones. Apple would be slated I think for a 5GS, because 5G will be a way off.

 

[Retired Cat]

I think this is what will happen:

iPhone 6 next September: new exterior, bigger display, some improved internals.

iPhone 5CS next September: iPhone 5C upgraded to 5S components.

 

[cristovao]

Seriously. You get me a phone that keeps me from needing a wallet aside from cash -- pay using phone, get receipt digitally -- and you've got a game-changer. The iPhone took me from four items to carry -- keys, wallet, phone, iPod -- to three. EVENTUALLY I think we'll all just have a phone with maybe a case slip for cash, but someone has to figure that out first.

The iPhone (with a wirelessly connected hardware device) can already eliminate the need for your house keys.

 

[Italianblend]

I think this is what will happen:

iPhone 6 next September: new exterior, bigger display, some improved internals.

iPhone 5CS next September: iPhone 5C upgraded to 5S components.

Sounds about right.

 

[Kemonsterr]

4GB of RAM?!

At most I would expect 2GB of RAM, 4 seems out of the question.

No way Apple goes with a 1080p display since they only care about the "retina" moniker which is around 318ppi.

Personally I've learned to be extremely bearish when it comes to iPhone improvements from year to year. I would only expect the following for next years iPhone:
4.3 inch screen
Improved processor
New design
Wifi AC
LTE-A

I second this
Why on earth does anyone need 4gb ram on a phone?

 

[greygray]

So the majority of consumers feel the iPhone 5S is not as big of an upgrade as others Apple have released. What if next year for any reason, Apple was unable to release an iPhone 6 for design reasons or even just to make a little more money... and came out with an iPhone 5...GS (same overall design as iPhone 5 or 5S).

Heres my take on a potential feature highlights list of the iPhone 5GS...

1. A7X Processor
Quad core CPU in addition to the already quad core GPU. (iPhone 5S has dual core CPU and quad core GPU)

2. 4GB RAM
The iPhone 5S was forward thinking with its 64-bit architecture... but the 2GB of RAM doesn't help with the additional memory it took per instruction that become double the size. The 5S's forward thinking is now realized with the 5GS featuring 4GB RAM.

3. Retina+ Display
Featuring an even better 1080p IPS display with even better colors. Its not just the resolution, but the colors look much richer in your photos and videos with even more depth.

4. 10.1 Megapixel Camera, 10% Increase Sensor Size, Tri-LED Flash
More MP on a bigger sensor, with three LEDs synchronized when you shoot a photo for even truer colors that are not too bright, warm, saturated, or cool.

5. Compressed Memory
OSX Mavericks brought you amazing new technologies to help conserve battery life, some of that came from iOS... with the 5GS, you get the same fast compression and decompression of memory with improved read/write efficiency, CPU usage, battery life, and multicore aware... great for the new quad-core A7X.

6. iOS 8.x
New features focusing on power savings from OSX Mavericks.

7. Battery Life - Same as 5GS and 5
The iPhone 5GS demands more power for all of the better, faster, and upgraded hardware... without compromising the existing great battery life of the 5GS and the 5.

(Would be amusing to see a Youtube video made of this...) What do you think? Do you have some other take on what this device could be like?

If you were trying to predict the next Android smartphone, you might have nailed it. Sorry but it's not even close for Apple though.

 

[antiprotest]

Situation very poorly stated. Poll options limited and misleading. Cannot respond to poll.