Apple testing 3.95-inch 16:9 display in iPhone 5

As is always the case when discussing future Apple hardware releases, there’s a lot of speculation as to what the company will change in terms of the underlying components inside the case, as well as the look of the device.

The (highly desirable) problem Apple faces is it has some very recognizable and popular devices in the form of the iPhone and iPad. Changing how they look drastically isn’t really to the company’s advantage, as why make an iPhone not look like an iPhone?

The latest rumors surrounding what display the iPhone 5 will use, suggest that Apple fully intends to stick with the overall look of the current iPhone case. The big change comes in how big of a display it can fit inside the existing case dimensions.

9To5Mac believes that Apple is intending to replace the existing 3.5-inch display with a 3.95-inch model. Doing so would surely require a wider case, but apparently that’s not what is going to happen. Apple has instead decided to make the screen longer, 176 pixels longer in fact. The resolution of the display will also increase to 640 x 1136, where as currently the iPhone 4S uses a 640 x 960 resolution.

The result of doing this is Apple can ship the iPhone 5 with a display that has an aspect ratio very close to 16:9. That means full-screen video at native aspect ratios is possible, giving users a much better viewing experience. A wider display also means Apple can fit more on the screen, and is thought to be planning a fifth row of home screen icons and the ability to view more content at once in iOS 6.

Two prototype iPhone 5 units carrying the larger 3.95-inch display are thought to be undergoing testing at Apple right now. It’s unclear what the differences between the two models are, but it is likely going to be slightly different case designs, materials, or component layouts.

If a larger 16:9 display is planned, and combined with the expected reduction in phone thickness to just 7.9mm, we could end up with an iPhone 5 that looks different enough to the iPhone 4S to be classed as new. At the same time that display will be the major selling point due to its higher resolution and media playback improvements. But ultimately the “look” of the iPhone will be retained.

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