Japan Display Unveils a 5.5″ Display, Pundits Think it Will be Used in the Next iPhone
Fresh from an IPO, leading screen tech developer Japan Display unveiled a new LCD screen yesterday.
This 5.5″ marvel, which you can see below, sports an amazing screen resolution of 1,440 by 2,560, giving it a pixel density of 538ppi. The Japanese company says that it will begin shipping the new display in April.
Pundits quickly connected that detail with a rumor recently reported in the Nikkei:
Suppliers of LCD panels for Apple’s new iPhone will ramp up production soon, in line with a timetable for a worldwide launch as early as September. The new phone, expected to be called the iPhone 6, will likely be offered in 4.7- and 5.5-inch versions, both of which are larger than the current generation’s 4-inch screen.
There’s no indication as to the source of this rumor, so I would not take it too seriously. Also, Apple is know for their secrecy, so if this screen really were intended for the next iPhone I don’t think JDI would have been allowed to announce it.
Remember, the Retina Display for the iPad wasn’t announced by Samsung; it leaked from a parts supplier. That is how I expect to first hear about the new larger iPhone screens – assuming they exist.
While I expect Apple to eventually release a larger iPhone, all of the rumors I am hearing right now sound an awful lot like the rumors circulating around this time last year. A lot of people expected a new and larger iPhone last September, but it didn’t happen. Instead we got a couple new iPhones with 4″ screens.
Without a solid leak which proves the existence of the larger screen, I think it is safe to assume that many pundits will be disappointed when the new iPhone is unveiled in the Fall.
Comments
fjtorres March 29, 2014 um 6:40 am
I’d be skeptical because of the resolution: Apple products tend to have resolutions that are multiples of xga and this is quad-720p.
It would require yet another rewiring of iOS to work and that eould zhow up in the SDK. Has it?
Nate Hoffelder March 29, 2014 um 7:02 am
Nope.
And thanks for pointing out the detail about the screen resolution; I’m embarrassed that I missed it.
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