Susquehanna Financial Analyst Chris Caso has sent a note to his clients that the iPhone 5 will both head to production in June of 2012, and come with a larger 4-inch screen. His sources are not public, so keep in mind that we have no idea where he’s getting his information.
The 4-inch screen rumors have been around since before the iPhone 4S, and alongside those rumors came speculation that the glass of the phone would be slightly curved, amongst other things. Introducing a 4-inch screen could be another step towards fragmenting the platform, with developers having to work with potentially three resolutions for their applications on the iPhone. This is just a guess, but if Apple does release a phone with a bigger screen and slightly different resolution when they announce the iPhone 5, there’s a very high likelihood that the 480 by 320 resolution of the iPhone 3G and 3GS takes the hit. The iPhone 3GS is coming up on its 3rd birthday in June.
That being said, Apple could choose to keep the 960 by 640 resolution (Retina), while upgrading the display size to four inches. That would be a solution, and would not force developers to re-code their applications for a new resolution. I guess what we’re getting at is that an increase in screen size doesn’t necessarily mean an increase in resolution. Should the phone get the bump, the two facets do not have to be married.
However, we’re not sold on a 4-inch screen being in the next iPhone. The 3.5-inch screen currently provides a comfortable experience. When holding your phone, can you comfortably touch the opposite, top corner of your device with your thumb? Could you if it was 4-inches? I think I would have to strain to get up into that top corner, which is not something I want to do, especially considering the amount of time that my iPhone is in my hands throughout the day.
Note: We’re not sure where the concept photo came from. We tried tracking it down, but hit a wall. If you know, send us the info so we can link it up!
Woot, success!
Concept Image by ADR-Studio
