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The iPhone 5 rumour mill has recently led us to believe that Apple’s next smartphone will pack a screen size of at least 4-inches – in fact most likely exactly 4-inches – but now it looks as though it will be smaller.
Apple news site 9to5mac, who has a good track record with insider Apple knowledge, reported earlier today that the Cupertino Company is currently testing several different iPhone prototypes. The website’s unnamed source has told that Apple is currently testing a 3.95-inch screen size on two different prototype models, known as ‘iPhone 5,1’ and ‘iPhone 5,2’.
The larger screens will feature an altered resolution as well – 1136 x 640 to be precise – which is the same in terms of width but with 176 pixels more in length. When rumours of a larger screen first emerged, many said that Apple wouldn’t do it as it would involve changing the aspect ratio from 4:3 to widescreen 16:9, which would cause issues with the hundreds of thousands of existing apps available, which were all designed with a 4:3 screen in mind. The increase in pixels combined with the size of the screen will move the iPhone 5 to a near-16:9 ratio.
Apple has hidden the two new test phones in large and unwieldy casings, so as to keep the final design and look a secret and to stop ‘unauthorised’ Apple employees catching on. It is also testing new versions of its forthcoming software update, iOS 6, for devices with the new screen size. Apparently these new builds of iOS 6 allow for a fifth row of icons on the iPhone’s Springboard – something that you can do on a Jailbroken iPhone, but has been locked to the standard 4 x 4 plus dock layout since the inception of the very first iPhone.
Asides from the new screen, 9to5mac reports that the new iPhone will feature the familiar home button and a redesigned dock connector – something that has also been reported by iLounge. The website claims to have more juicy gossip on the iPhone 5’s processor and Apple’s new Maps software, so stay tuned. In the meantime, check out a video render of what the iPhone 5 could look like with the purported screen size.
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Via: 9to5mac
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