iPhone 5

Inb4JrMouse

Lies

It stands to reason that a new iPhone will be released sometime later this year, Apple have been quite consistent with that so far. May not be iPhone 5 though, might just be called the new iPhone though, just like with the new iPad, or maybe "Magical, revolutionary new iPhone".

The problem is 4.6 inches is too large a screen for Apple to keep the iPhone 4/4S' resolution and still be considered a Retina Display. There is no chance in Hell of Apple releasing an iPhone that doesn't use one, so to do so they would have to increase the resolution. This would cause fragmentation for the platform. Something that Android been riddled with and Apple has been careful to limit and avoid. I don't buy it.

I don't have the link, but someone did the math a while back and 3.6 to 3.7 inches is the largest Apple could go with their current resolution and still be able to market the screen as a Retina Display. This is far more likely is Apple does decide to go larger.

Besides, 4.6 is too big. I wouldn't want to see the iPhone grow any larger then 4 inches if they did decide to go down this path.

I'm willing to bet that apple doesn't change the form factor of the phone- the addition of LTE capability will be enough to appease the masses.

What the hell is a Retina Display?

I know you are kidding, but it's not that hard to understand. To qualify a display has to have a pixel density that the average human eye cannot see the pixels when the device is held from a common distance away. That's why the new iPad has a lower PPI then the iPhone does. A tablet is held further from the eyes and thus needs less pixels to work.

Also, marketing.

Rumor today is that its going to have LTE, a 3.5" screen, and a new "micro dock" connector.

Much more believable.

As someone who spent far too much time reading up on iPhone rumors last year (before the 4S keynote) I highly recommend that you don't take these rumors too seriously. The 4.6" rumor is utter nonsense. The most the next iPhone display will be size-wise is 4".

If you want to read up on what to expect for the next iPhone I recommend this article. Personally I think LTE is a given and it will be released in the fall. Everything else is up for debate. I really want a 4" retina display, but who knows if Apple will give us that. I'd say there is a 5% chance that it will be larger than 4".

He echos my comments on the screen size increasing and it's effect on the screen's PPI.

Anyone who thinks Apple will give up it's ability to call it a "retina display" by going 4.6 inches is not paying attention. 4 inches MAX and I would place my bets down that it is closer to 3.7.

As much as I absolutely love my iPhone 4, I actually have been very unhappy with the screen size for a few years now. That's why I was kinda obsessing with the rumors last year. (And have since learned to really not pay too much attention to them.)

I think a 4" retina display would be a great step forward, but I'd actually be happiest with a 4.5" retina display. Before you say that would make the phone too big, you're wrong. The key would be to keep the form factor close to what the current iPhone is and eliminate the amount of bezel. In its current form, the iPhone is essentially 25% bezel on the front surface when you factor in the top and bottom bezel. You could easily (if technology would allow it) stretch out the current iPhone screen on its sides (in landscape mode) while keeping just a little bezel on the top and bottom. (For some sort of home button on the bottom and front-facing camera on top.)

Perhaps down the road we'll get something along the lines of what I want, but not anytime soon if I had to guess.