The screen size of the new iPhone has been a hot topic as of late, with several different rumors claiming that Apple will be bumping up the size of the handset's screen from the 3.5-inch measurement that it's used to date. Now 9to5 Mac has chimed in with some purported details of its own. According to the site, Apple is testing a number of new iPhones, and two of which feature a larger display. The models are said to be iPhone 5,1 and iPhone 5,2 and are reportedly in the pre-engineering verification test stage of development, featuring 3.95-inch displays with a resolution of 1136x640. The screen is said to be the same width than the 3.5-inch displays that Apple's used to day, but it would be slightly taller than those screens and would feature a 16:9 aspect ratio.
To put that extra screen real estate to good use, Apple is also said to testing special versions of iOS 6 that are meant for use with these taller screens. The OS includes a fifth row of app icons as well as extended app UIs that show more information. These new iPhones with larger screens and tweaked versions of iOS 6 reportedly include new, smaller dock connectors, as well. The new connector is described as a narrower version of the current 30-pin connector with a size that's between that of a mini-USB and a micro-USB connector.
As I mentioned before, today's report is the latest in a line of rumors claiming that Apple is prepping a new iPhone with a larger display. It's unlikely we'll know whether or not a bigger iPhone is indeed coming to market until Tim Cook is standing up on stage with one in his hand, but the demand for a larger-screened iPhone is certainly there. There are a few different ways that Apple could bump up the screen size of its handset, and the method that's rumored today would allow the company to release a bigger iPhone without making it more difficult for users to handle than previous models since its width would be the same. How many of you would be interested in a taller iPhone with a 3.95-inch 1136x640 display?
UPDATE: 9to5 Mac has published a second post with some updated information on the iPhone's rumored screen size. The site explains that it originally did some math using the Pythagorean theorem with the rumored 1136x640 screen resolution and the 326ppi used by Apple for Retina iPhones and iPod touches, and it ultimately rounded the result to 3.95 inches. However, leaving the decimal numbers in place and the final figure unrounded gives a display size of 3.999 inches, which 9to5 Mac explains could allow Apple to market its new device as a 4-inch iPhone if that is indeed what the Cupertino firm ends up releasing.
Via 9to5 Mac (1), (2)
