4 inch iPhone according to WSJ

[AstroManLuca]

compared to my old HTC, i actually like being able to hold my iphone and work it with one hand

I have no problem reaching every part of my Samsung's 4" screen. Now if it was a 4.5" monster I could see that giving me some trouble. But I think 3.5" is just too small.

 

[Red Storm]

I really hope this is true, I can easily use a 4" phone one handed and the extra screen size would be awesome for web browsing and gaming. I'm sure everyone saying 3.5" is perfect would buy it anyway.

lol so true.

 

[BlahBlahYouToo]

Beat me to it...

It's normal evolution to have a 4" iPhone, despite the naysayers.

I'm still thinking it will have the same resolution, although I could see a resolution change too.

Its going to be 4", 1080x720 which maintains 3:2 AR and above 300ppi. Quote me on it.

 

[Eug]

Its going to be 4", 1080x720 which maintains 3:2 AR and above 300ppi. Quote me on it.

The iPhone 5 will not be 1080x720. Quote me on it.

I really hope this is true, I can easily use a 4" phone one handed and the extra screen size would be awesome for web browsing and gaming. I'm sure everyone saying 3.5" is perfect would buy it anyway.

Heh, true.

They'd lose few potential customers going from 3.5" to 4", but would stand to gain a lot.

Hopefully they can reduce the bezel size. They do have room to work with, as the iPhone 3G is noticeably wider than the iPhone 4S.

iPhone 4S: 115.2 x 58.66 mm
iPhone 4: 115.2 x 58.66 mm
iPhone 3GS: 115.5 x 62.1 mm
iPhone 3G: 115.5 x 62.1 mm
iPhone: 115 x 61 mm

I think that as long as the phone isn't significant wider than the iPhone 3G, we're OK.

 

[ilkhan]

Google should patent large screen phones before apple does. Otherwise who knows what'll happen.

 

[preslove]

Of course the Wall Street Journal is more respected than other outlets, but do you mean to insinuate that they are flawless and that they can't make incorrect iPhone predictions? Just about everyone ran at least one (usually more) article talking about the iPhone 4s having a larger screen, and they were all wrong. That doesn't mean they will be this time, just that this rumor mill has been turning for a long time.

This 2011 WSJ article said the iPhone 4s would be thinner and called the iPhone 5:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903327904576526690675657466.html

This one said it would launch last summer and have a different screen:

http://blogs.wsj.com/marketbeat/2011/04/13/apple-iphone-5-relax-its-coming-this-summer-says-cross/

This one hints at a larger screen:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204612504576609462919387474.html

As does this:

http://onespot.wsj.com/small-business/2011/07/28/3a7fd/next-iphone-to-have-a-larger-screen

and this:

http://onespot.wsj.com/gadgets/2011/08/18/17f67/wintek-hints-at-iphone-5s-larger-screen

In closing, you desperately need to grow up.

All your links demonstrate is that you have poor reading comprehension. Those talk about rumors and "general expectation(s)," not actual sources within apple's supply chain.


Your comment in your last post was out of line and now you follow it up with this. As moderator I request that you tone it down a bit. You can comment on the contents of the post without commenting on the poster. And, Deeko, take it down a notch too please.

Thanks
Moderator PM

 

[VashHT]

Heh, true.

They'd lose few potential customers going from 3.5" to 4", but would stand to gain a lot.

Hopefully they can reduce the bezel size. They do have room to work with, as the iPhone 3G is noticeably wider than the iPhone 4S.

iPhone 4S: 115.2 x 58.66 mm
iPhone 4: 115.2 x 58.66 mm
iPhone 3GS: 115.5 x 62.1 mm
iPhone 3G: 115.5 x 62.1 mm
iPhone: 115 x 61 mm

I think that as long as the phone isn't significant wider than the iPhone 3G, we're OK.

Yeah I agree, I don't think the overall phone would have to be much bigger than the ip4s, and if it is a little wider then there's a chance it could be thinner as well.

 

[AstroManLuca]

Maybe HTC should patent 4"+ mobile phone screens and sue Apple to stop them from doing this.

 

[Bateluer]

So boring. Apple should have gone balls out with a 4.5 or larger screen.

Why? No body wants large screen phones. The Prophet said so.

 

[Yuriman]

The iPhone is definitely due for a screen size bump. Some thoughts:

I just moved from an OG Droid to a GS2. The Droid has a 3.7" screen with a 16:9 aspect ratio, and I had no issue reaching every part of the screen with a normal grip. My GS2 has a 4.3" screen with a 15:9 aspect ratio, and although I can reach across the screen and touch all four corners, I can't do that with the base of the phone resting in my palm. It took some time to acclimate to, and now I typically hold the phone centered in my hand, but I feel like I have a higher risk of dropping it. If the screen were any larger I wouldn't be able to use the phone with one hand, and I think I have pretty average-sized hands - smallish for a guy, but larger than most women's.

Realistically, I think 4" is as large as Apple can make a screen before it becomes a 2-handed device for a significant percentage of their users, and changing the aspect ratio will help.

 

[Eug]

3.8" to 4" is perfect IMO.

4.5" is too big.

 

[GTaudiophile]

I too thought 4.0" would be ideal...until I got the Nexus with a 4.65" screen. I can't imagine anything smaller now.

 

[BlahBlahYouToo]

The iPhone 5 will not be 1080x720. Quote me on it.

reason?

i'm making an educated guess.
2:1 AR, 300+ ppi screen.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

I don't know about you guys but I hate the no bezel thing. I know how people stress how minimize bezel = keep phone same size. Making the bezel overly large is a waste I understand but even new phones like the SGS3 which stress to keep the form factor manageable have SOME sort of bezel.

If not, holding it becomes a problem and sometimes your hand will easily register on the touchscreen. Furthermore it looks kinda ugly IMO. Many cases also give a little bezel. It helps with protecting the front glass. Larger iPhone is not a problem. The iPhone 4S is pretty small in most hands. They can go to 4" without an issue.

 

[Blueychan]

I'd not want a phone screen bigger than 4" ..... 4.5" NO

 

[Eug]

I don't know about you guys but I hate the no bezel thing. I know how people stress how minimize bezel = keep phone same size. Making the bezel overly large is a waste I understand but even new phones like the SGS3 which stress to keep the form factor manageable have SOME sort of bezel.

2 mm bezel is sufficient.

Right now it's close to 3 mm, plus another 1+ mm to the edge of the phone, for a total of almost 4 mm.

If not, holding it becomes a problem and sometimes your hand will easily register on the touchscreen. Furthermore it looks kinda ugly IMO. Many cases also give a little bezel.

Indeed, the case adds to the bezel. With my thin case for my iPhone 4, it's 5 mm to the edge of the screen. No need for that.

The iPhone 4S is pretty small in most hands. They can go to 4" without an issue.

Not for a lot of females. It's about right for many females, so 4" is already pushing it. 4.5" is simply too big, even for many males.*

*This conversation just wouldn't sound right out of context.

 

[dagamer34]

I just keep laughing and reminding myself there was a time when people thought the 800x480 4.3" HTC HD2 back in 2009 was a joke because of it's screen size being too large. Those were the days...

Just as a refresher, here's a review: http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/25/htc-hd2-review/

Make sure to check out the video.

 

[Eug]

Personally I think 4.3" phones are too large. (I have small hands for a male, although they're larger than average females' hands.)

 

[Bateluer]

I just keep laughing and reminding myself there was a time when people thought the 800x480 4.3" HTC HD2 was a joke because of it's screen size. Those were the days...

Just as a refresher, here's a review: http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/25/htc-hd2-review/

Make sure to check out the video.

But the centerpiece here isn't the hardware, it's HTC's totally revamped user interface, Sense, which doesn't just hide Windows Mobile 6.5 -- it all but zaps it out of existence. Sadly for Microsoft, that's the most enticing part of this equation.

and even though the phone is a svelte 11mm (0.43-inches) thick, the sheer vastness of the handset might be a turnoff to some;

Man, we've come a long way.

 

[Eug]

Maybe if I were a basketball player, I'd think a 4.6" phone would be perfect, I dunno.

 

[WelshBloke]

... Realistically, I think 4" is as large as Apple can make a screen before it becomes a 2-handed device for a significant percentage of their users, and changing the aspect ratio will help.

I think people make too much fuss about one/two handed usage. It's not like everyone with an iPhone is complaining about having to use both hands to pinch to zoom.

 

[Eug]

There is a significant amount of usage where I use it two-handed. eg. Pinch-zoom surfing and looking at photos. However, there is also a significant amount of usage where I use it one-handed. eg. Talking on the office phone while checking iCal or AddressBook on the iPhone.

That HTC HD2 is 67 mm wide, which IMO is far too wide. The iPhone 5 is currently 58 mm, and while I think up to say about 62 mm or so is OK, 67 is too much.

Alternatively, Apple could release multiple differently-sized iPhones to satisfy more customers, but I suspect Apple will not do that. The one-size-for-all business model for the iPhone has worked well for them, and I think a 3.8" to 4" phone would continue to work well for them in that scenario. A 4.3" iPhone would not.

 

[dagamer34]

Man, we've come a long way.

Here's part of the review of the HTC Rezound, released in Nov 2011.

In overall dimensions, the Rezound doesn't hold a candle to the Droid RAZR. The former, measuring 13.7mm thick, is nearly double that of the latter's 7.1mm; even with its depth, the Rezound's still at least thinner than the 14mm Thunderbolt.

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/15/htc-rezound-review/

You'd think it's been a long time coming, but it's actually only a more recent change.

 

[Eug]

I'm not actually a big fan of the super thin phones. That HTC HD2's 11 mm thickness is fine IMO. It's the width I have a problem with.

 

[AkumaX]

3.83" if they want to keep > 300 ppi

and it would be hard if they wanted to change the resolution of 960x640. every resolution they change they have to make sure its auto-backwards compatible w/ all the other apps

w/ the 2g/3g/3gs, it was 480x320
going to 4/4s, it was a 2:1 increase, just have to upscale it 2x (from 480->960 and 320->640)

same thing w/ ipad (1024x768->2048x1536), nobody had to redesign anything

a lot of apps were already "ipad3 ready", since they already had the 2x scaling built in before release