AppleInsider Staff
Claims that Apple's rumored 5.5-inch iPhone will bow months after its purported 4.7-inch sibling were backed up Tuesday with a new report from Taiwan claiming that Apple may be having trouble fitting an ultra-slim battery for the new device.
Apple is thought to need a battery less than 2 millimeters tall for its new "phablet," a reduction of about one-third from the current generation. Producing such thin cells is said to be an issue for Apple's manufacturing partners — which reportedly include Samsung and LG Chemical — according to Taiwan's Commercial Times.
The publication also reiterated previous claims that Apple is considering calling the still-unannounced device the "iPhone Air," following its recent naming convention for ultra-thin products. The handset would join the MacBook Air and iPad Air in the category.
While Apple has in the past been seen as reluctant to significantly increase the size of the iPhone's display, many now expect the company to release at least two larger-screened models this year. The first, a 4.7-inch device, is believed to be positioned as the "iPhone 6" and will likely launch early this fall.
The second, larger device is expected to ship later, and the battery issues may be part of the reason. Well-connected analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities, who has a track record of accurately predicting Apple's product moves, said earlier this month that the company would release the larger handset in the fourth quarter of 2014, possibly months after its smaller sibling.
Charles Martin
Christine McKee
Oliver Haslam
William Gallagher
Sponsored Content
149 Comments
"Rumor.."Who is this person?? Where do they get their information??
The most popular Android phone models are between the 4.7-5" range. I cannot really see Apple playing a "who can make the largest smart phone" game and coming out with a 5.5" model -- the iPhablet. If I were Apple, I would make the phone wider (maybe 720 pixel wide display) and having vertical black bars for older apps. If Apple does come out with a 4.7" phone in a game of "me too", then I could see it jumping to a higher resolution than 1080p commonplace on smart phones nowadays. Perhaps doubling the pixel density to something like 2272x1280.
If Apple does come out with a 4.7" phone in a game of "me too", then I could see it jumping to a higher resolution than 1080p commonplace on smart phones nowadays. Perhaps doubling the pixel density to something like 2272x1280.
With no currently sold or supported iPhones using the "Pre-Retina" resolution of 320x480 anymore, I think Apple could make room for at least 1 additional resolution target for developers. With the current 640x960 essentially becoming the new 1x, and either a new doubling or alternate resolution [1080p] taking up a new 2x position for larger screens.
I sure hope so. I'll be able to come back to the iPhone is Apple makes a larger screen.
I don't really care about the physical size so long as the magnification of the screen contents is improved; if you're over 40 and need reading glasses, text and icons on the iPhones right now are just too small to read.