iPhone 5 Features, Specs: Bigger Screen Confirmed

The iPhone 5 release date is still likely over a month away, but based on a beta version of the new operating system developers say they can confirm that Apple's new smartphone will support a higher resolution and therefore feature a redesigned, bigger screen.
The release of iOS 6 Beta 4 recently revealed that the new iPhone 5 will feature an improved resolution of 640x1136. The upgraded resolution likely means that the iPhone 5 will feature a taller screen. This change in design has been predicted online for weeks - if not months, and confirmed in a number of leaked images of the iPhone 5. Based on this information, however, developers believe they can accurately predict that the iPhone 5 will be exactly four inches in height.

The new resolution was confirmed by multiple sources, all of whom believe that the iPhone 5 will feature a taller screen with the same width as the current model.


Apple's smartphone design, regarding the screen, has recently lagged behind Samsung. The Korean company offers smartphone's with bigger, more durable LCD screens. However, it seems likely that Apple will attempt to leap ahead of it's competition with the iPhone 5's design. Beyond a taller screen, the iPhone 5 is also expected to feature new technology that integrates touch sensors right into the display screen (instead of stacking the two separate screens together like in previous models). This design upgrade will mean a thinner and more responsive iPhone 5 screen.

9to5Mac also noted that side-by-side, the beta version of iOS 6.0 and the current iOS 5.1 have noticeably different resolutions. The Apple-focused blog also suggested that the taller screen will mean an extra row of app icons on the iPhone 5 home screen.

Apple has yet to comment on the iPhone 5, refusing to name or even acknowledge the device's existence. However, in the past the company has often released new mobile operating systems alongside each next-generation smartphone. iOS 6 is due this fall and the iPhone 5 is expected to be released around the same time.

While there has been no shortage of rumors surrounding the iPhone 5 and its release date, one recent rumor was quickly picked up by a large number of websites and even confirmed by several reputable news sources including Reuters, Bloomberg and the NYTimes. According to the rumor, Apple will unveil the iPhone 5 at a special event on September 12, and release the new smartphone nine days later on the 21st.