iPhone 4's Retina Display v.s. iPhone 3G (Photo credit: Yutaka Tsutano)
Apple is testing two different versions of the next-generation iPhone, both of which feature a longer display and a screen aspect ratio close to 16:9, according to a report on 9 to 5 Mac.
Both of the versions being tested feature a 3.999-inch display. The screen width stays the same at 1.9632 inches wide, but 176 pixels have been added to the height, taking the screen resolution up to 640 x 1136. This takes the screen aspect ration close to that of 16:9, which means that videos at this resolution can play full-screen at their native resolution.
Last week there were multiple rumors coming from sources speaking to the Wall Street Journal, Reuters and Bloomberg, all claiming that the next iPhone will have a bigger screen than the 3.5-inch screen that the iPhone has had since it was launched back on 2007. Sources speaking to the WSJ say that the screen will be “at least four inches diagonally,” while the sources speaking to Reuters say that the screen will be 4-inches exactly. Bloomberg's sources only claimed that the screen would be bigger than the current 3.5-inch.
Both Reuters and the Wall Street Journal’s sources agreed that screen production will occur at three suppliers, LG Display, Sharp — the company that was allegedly going to manufacture thinner IGZO screens for the iPad 3 — and Japan Display, a company created in April formed as a joint venture between Sony, Toshiba, Hitachi and the Japanese government.
A 4-inch display would give the new iPhone roughly 30 percent extra viewing area.
The current iPhone features a 3.5-inch screen with a resolution of 640 x 960 and an aspect ratio of 3:2.
The rumors also claim that Apple is testing iOS version 6, which adds a sixth row of icons to the device's home screen and extends the user interface of apps.
There's also unconfirmed reports that the current 30-pin dock used to charge and dock the phone is being replaced by a smaller dock connector on the two prototypes.
For more rumors, check out this iPhone 5 rumor roundup post from last week.
