The iPhone 5 made a splash late last year when it finally broke the 4-inch barrier after stubbornly maintaining its size for its five previous models. Well, if it isn’t broke, why fix it, right? But when they faced steep, large-faced competition last year, Apple’s designers were probably scurrying for a redesign. Alas, they produced a bigger iPhone5 (compared to its predecessor, the 3.5-inch iPhone 4s,) sporting a crisp Retina Dispay, and a more powerful processor. It was able to boost the size of the screen by “stretching” it, increasing the length but not the width. They refer back to their design sensibilities, staying firm that their design provides the optimum smartphone experience.
This phone is to be released in June 20, 2013
Yes, they were able to increase the screen size, but the iPhone 5 is considerably smaller compared to other top-tier smartphones in the market. Samsung’s Galaxy S3, iPhone 5’s closest rival, sports a whopping 4.8-inch screen. Other similar phones have screens bigger than 4.5 inches, and no one is complaining; in fact, they’re rejoicing the extra screen real estate for better content viewing and application experience. These became the preferred personal and business phone units because they have the size to accommodate the needs of everyday multitaskers.
Apple remains adamant that their screen size upgrade is the best there is, and that giving more size would jeopardize the whole mobile experience. But the latest rumor about their next handset says otherwise. Rumormongers in the tech world are spreading word about the possible screen upgrade in the next iPhone, which will probably be called the 5s, following Apple’s nomenclature.
What they say:
The most notable rumor making the rounds in the web today is the possibility of seeing a bigger iPhone following the success of their first foray in the 4-plus-inch playing field. It’s notable that most of these rumors come from Chinese tech websites, known for leaking mobile phone specs and screenshots sourced from the China-based production lines. So if they’re saying there’s a possibility of a bigger iPhone in the works, we can assume that it may not be unfounded at all. Perhaps they’ve caught wind of new orders for bigger screens, or were able to get their hands on a rough draft of things to come.
Another rumor about the next iPhone is the possibility of releasing a more budget friendly model (cheap, by Apple standards, is probably similar to the pricing of other high-end mobiles in the market). It is rumoured that Apple could possibly cut back on the price by using a plastic/glass hybrid for casing instead of anodized aluminium. The innards would probably remain the same, since performance is one of the iPhone’s real strengths.
What we would probably see:
The chances of having a bigger iPhone 5s this year is quite slim. While we are not discounting the possibility of the size change, it will be uncharacteristic for Apple to change the size after rolling out a major upgrade just last year. This is based on their previous handsets, wherein the ones with the “s” at the end (3Gs, 4s) retained the looks of their predecessor, coupled with several performance boosts or tweaks.
Price-wise, Apple doesn’t really need to bend over backwards for their new release. Even with strong competition, the iPhone name still has a loyal following, enough to give them a positive sales record regardless of the minimal upgrades and changes that they make to the handset.