Smartphones keep getting bigger and, according to a report from Reuters Thursday, Apple is looking to continue the trend. Sources with “direct knowledge of the matter” told the news agency that the Cupertino electronics and computing giant is “exploring” the launch of iPhones next year with both 4.7-inch and 5.7-inch screens.
Apple is looking at introducing at least two bigger iPhones next year - one with a 4.7-inch screen and one with a 5.7-inch screen - said the sources, including those in the supply chain in Asia. They said suppliers have been approached with plans for the larger screens, but noted it is still unclear whether Apple will actually launch its flagship product in the larger sizes.
“They constantly change product specifications almost to the final moment, so you’re not really sure whether this is the final prototype,” said one person with direct knowledge of the matter.
After first launching in 2007 with a 3.5-inch display, the iPhone’s basic form factor remained constant until last fall’s update to the iPhone 5. With the latest iPhone, Apple extended the display vertically while keeping the same width, resulting in a larger 4-inch size overall. It’s unclear from the report’s sources what the ratio of a potentially larger iPhone screen would be.
The current iPhone 5 (right) compared to the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 (via Phone Arena)
Even at a larger 4-inch size, the iPhone 5 is one of the smaller smartphones on the market. Apple’s chief rival, Samsung, has found great success worldwide with the release of increasingly larger smartphones. The company’s two most popular devices, the Galaxy S4 and Galaxy Note 2, have 5-inch and 5.5-inch displays, respectively. As their size approaches that of tablets, such as the iPad mini or Google Nexus 7, the market has adopted the unofficial term “phablets” to describe these large smartphones.
Should Apple choose to launch a “phablet-sized” iPhone, a major consideration would be developer support. iOS developers currently must configure their applications to support five iOS device screen resolutions: the Retina iPad, the non-Retina iPad (which includes the iPad mini and the iPad 2 at the same resolution), the Retina 4-inch iPhone and iPod touch, the Retina 3.5 inch iPhone and iPod touch, and the non-Retina 3.5-inch iPhone and iPod touch. A new larger device will likely require yet another resolution category.
While larger iPhones may be in line for Apple in 2014, more information has leaked about the company’s plans for this year’s refresh. Sources claim that Apple plans to continue its naming scheme and release the “iPhone 5S” this fall. The model will keep the same form factor as the current iPhone 5, but will receive faster internal components and, reportedly, long-awaited support for fingerprint scanning technology.
Perhaps more interestingly, sources also claim that Apple will launch a second iPhone model alongside the flagship iPhone 5S for the first time. Despite claims to the contrary, this new as-yet-unnamed iPhone will be targeted at the low-cost segment of the market. With slower internal components and a cheaper plastic body, analysts expect that Apple could launch the device at $99. To help further distinguish the rumored low-cost iPhone, separate reports suggest that Apple plans to offer the device in a variety of colors similar to those found on the iPhone 4 Bumper cases.
The Reuters report corroborates an April note from KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo which claimed that production issues for the plastic coating on the cheaper iPhone have delayed Apple’s ramp-up strategy. While trial production of the device was originally scheduled to begin this month, sources now claim that production has been pushed to August with plans for a September launch. Analysts expect sales of 20 million cheaper iPhone models in the final calendar quarter of the year.
