0 Review | iPhone 5 - A visualization of the rumors

Nobody who hasn’t made a blood oath of secrecy really knows what the next iPhone will be. Heck, Apple may not even know exactly what features it will have yet. Barring any drunken mishaps, we won’t know about it until Tim Cook takes the stage sometime this summer or (more likely) fall. Considering that we’re still a couple of months away from the iPad 3 announcement, it’s a bit early to be concerned with the next iPhone, but that hasn’t stopped the rumor mill from shifting into high gear.

We’ve compiled a convenient summary of some of the iPhone 5 features that we could ultimately see, based on the rumors that are floating about. The features that landed in each category aren’t even remotely definitive, but there are conflicting rumors so choices had to be made. In the name of fun, however, let’s bust out our crystal balls and take a look at the iPhone 5 features that we might enjoy a year from now.

Display

This is a popular subject for rumors and one feature that could go either way. On the one hand, high-end Android phones have been super-sized for a couple of years now, and many of them have been popular with customers. On the other, Apple has stuck with its 3.5-inch display from the get-go, and has publicly dismissed claims that larger smartphone screens are better.

If Apple does put a larger display on the iPhone 5, it would be shocking to see it grow to as big as 4.3 inches. Rumors and speculation have been about split on this one. For the sake of building this fantasy iPhone, let’s go with four inches. The important point is the use of a larger display without a major change in the size of the device.

If Apple issues another 3.5-inch display, then this one is easy: it will retain the same 960×640 resolution. Trying to double the resolution of the current Retina Display would be overkill and not remotely cost efficient.
If the screen gets blown up, though, it will be interesting to see what Apple does. It would be easier on developers to keep the same 960×640 resolution, but this would lower the pixel density from the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S.
There haven’t been many leaks or rumors about this, so let’s say that Apple bumps the resolution up a little bit, to 1080×720. At four inches, that would give it a pixel density of 325, only slightly lower than the 330 of the iPhone 4/4S, plus it would maintain the aspect ratio that the iPhone has always used.

Thickness

This one is easy: if the iPhone 5 isn’t thinner than the iPhone 4/4S, I’ll buy stock in RIM. High-end Android handsets like the Droid Razr and (to a lesser degree) the Galaxy Nexus are already thinner than the iPhone. I can’t see the company that made the MacBook Air going another generation without putting out a ridiculously thin iPhone.

For the sake of having a solid figure for our fantasy concept, let’s say that it will be 7mm thick, a hair thinner than the original Droid Razr.

Home button

Why even ask about the home button, when it’s been virtually identical on every single iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch that has ever been made? There have been several rumors that Apple will switch it up for the next iPhone.

Previous leaks have suggested that Apple will implement a wider home button that doubles as a trackpad for gestures. Other rumors have said that Apple will drop a physical button altogether, and go with an Ice Cream Sandwich-like on-screen button.

For this conceptual version that we’re visualizing, we’ve gone with a capacitive home button. The smart money would probably be on the home button staying the same, but we’ve seen enough rumors that it’s worth integrating the change (whether it’s likely or not).

Wireless Data

Will the next iPhone have 4G LTE? It sounds like a distinct possibility, but there are a couple of concerns. Apple adding LTE would probably depend on having battery life that is at least on par with the iPhone 4S and making it thinner than the iPhone 4/4S.
With Android phones having had 4G for nearly two years, Apple will start to look ancient if it doesn’t add LTE to the iPhone 5. For that reason, let’s say that the iPhone 5 will be an LTE handset on Verizon, AT&T, and even Sprint’s upcoming LTE network.

 

Review | iPhone 5 - A visualization of the rumors 9out of 10 based on 100 ratings. 9 user reviews.