Recent rumours have suggested that Apple will launch a much larger iPhone with a 4.8-inch display this year, codenamed the ‘iPhone Math’. However, Digitimes now claims that we won’t see a bigger iPhone until 2014.
The publication is one that frequently comments on and starts Apple product rumours, usually citing sources within the manufacturing industry out in the Far East. It’s been accurate before, but sometimes its information can be incorrect.
Word from Digitimes’ sources is that Apple is working on a larger iPhone, but it’s not scheduled to launch this year. What the Cupertino Company does have planned for this year, however, is two 4-inch phones.
One handset will be the expected iPhone 5S; an upgrade of last year’s iPhone 5 with improved internals and a similar, if not identical, design. The other iPhone is said to be a cheaper model, which is a rumour that we’ve heard a few times before. The budget model is said to have the same 4-inch screen size and a plastic body that will allow a lower price, putting Apple into direct competition with the ever-growing range of mid-range Android and Windows Phone devices.
Additionally, Digitimes says that both models will adopt in-cell touch technology. This tech allows a screen to be much thinner than conventional touchscreen phones, meaning that the picture appears to be right on top of the glass you’re touching. It’s also much more responsive, and in turn allows companies to make thinner products.
As for the ‘iPhone Math’; that’s said to be a 4.8-inch phone with a redesigned case, although right now it’s most likely just a concept in Apple’s design labs.
The iPhone 5S is the most likely bet for a launch this year, and we’re going to put money on Apple launching it in a range of colours as it has done with the 5th generation iPod Touch.