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Here are the first photos of the 5.5-inch iPhone 6’s alleged display part

Apple is gearing up to launch two larger iPhone sizes this fall: a 4.7-inch version and a 5.5-inch model. While the 4.7-inch version has been leaked extensively with a thinner body design, the 5.5-inch model only saw its first significant leak in the form of a dummy model last week. Today, Sonny Dickson has exclusively shared with us a pair of photos claimed to be showing the LCD display component for that larger iPhone with 5.5-inch screen. The photos show the display attached to a ruler that indicates a screen with a diagonal measurement of approximately 14cm:

That 14cm converts to the 5.5-inches heavily rumored for the next-generation Apple smartphone. While these photos do not provide us with any breakthrough information about the new iPhone, the photos, at best, do show that Apple is already producing components for the larger sized phone and this means that production is likely nearing. Several reports have indicated that the 5.5-inch model will be in short supply upon launch and that the phone may even be released multiple weeks following the 4.7-inch version…

Based on earlier leaks, the new set of iPhones will launch in a thinner all-aluminum body with similar color tones to those sold for the iPhone 5s. The new phones include a new antenna band design as well as a re-located sleep/wake/power switch on the right side so that the button is still easily accessible even though the phone becomes taller and wider. The new device will also likely sport a sapphire crystal display covering for improved strength and clarity, but reports have been split on whether or not that feature will be exclusive to the larger of the two models or arrive for both sizes.

The new iPhones are also expected to include a higher-resolution display with a pixel ratio of 1704 x 960. The new devices are also likely to include improved LTE chipsets to support VoLTE as well as a new barometer sensors to better track weather conditions and the phone’s relative altitude. The new iPhone will also include a new A8 system-on-a-chip that offers improved efficiency, marginal performance boosts, and better battery life. The iPhone 6 models will likely be announced in September and ship alongside the new iOS 8 mobile operating system. Apple also has the iWatch, new iPads, and new Macs in the fall pipeline.

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Comments

  1. The new antenna band design is just ugly. And where’s the dual flash camera? This whole design is horrible to look at. Shame at Apple.

    • peterblood71 - 10 years ago

      How about giving the criticisms a rest until we see what Apple actually releases?

      Horrible? Yeah, right.

      • herb02135go - 10 years ago

        I agree. This speculatron is a train wreck.

    • macman1138 - 10 years ago

      The design is not that bad…I’ll cover it (the phone) up with a military grade case anyway.

    • Larry W Brown - 10 years ago

      Ah, the PHONE SNOBS are coming out of the woodwork!

  2. Lukas - 10 years ago

    Well… even iPhone will not be a phone which fits into a pocket anymore :-(

  3. I’ll have to wait until I see it but I don’t care if it’s an Apple phone or not, a 5.5″ screen is huge and I still like the idea of one-hadned use. Still, nice to see Apple finally make (if it’s true) a larger phone thereby finally erasing the stigma of Apple’s stubbornness to not offer choice.

    Not that it really matters. Some people will hate Apple no matter what they do.

    • You’re right. I’m also more than happy with a screen size of my iPhone 4S and the max size I accept is the size iPhone 5 came with. If I want a bigger screen, then I take an iPad or iPad mini.

      • Le Moot. (@Vermoot) - 10 years ago

        I’m with you. The fact that they make bigger screen phones is cool because more choice is always great, but I’d still want them to continue making iPhone 5-like 4″ phones. 4.7″ is already too big for my taste :(

    • nwmike - 10 years ago

      Apple surely seams to be on the right track. Watching the WWDC keynote address made it clear that Apple is making strides to help developers and allow more change. I’m looking forward to getting a 5.5 iPhone.

  4. I don’t know guys. I would rather wait to see the real product when it’s out because these mockups and dummies don’t look good to me. iPhone 5s on the picture above has a stunning design and I hope the real iPhone 6 will be stunning as well.

  5. bobbell69 - 10 years ago

    I think unless it has some extra useful features over the smaller model, then I will be avoiding such a huge device to actually carry round daily.

  6. standardpull - 10 years ago

    I hope Apple make a 7″ iPhone.

    But I won’t buy one. Unlike a lot of kids I use my phone for talking too. And I work. And so an enormous phone that I can’t comfortably pocket or hold to my head won’t do. I am not going to hold an iPad mini sized phone to me head, and I don’t wear cargo pants.

    Make a phone with a huge display. But don’t forget there are people who want to have a phone.

    • FAME - 10 years ago

      Me, too. 7″ looks too big and 6.5 is a perfect size, to me. How unsightly or huge the device is depends on it’s design. If Apple is to do phablet be sure they want to be ‘the first to do it right’.

      They are testing the water with 5.5, next year they will go bigger. There is still the 4.7 for those whining about bigger screens, but the fact they are looking at articles for the 5.5 shows they aren’t being honest with themselves.

  7. borntofeel - 10 years ago

    No matter how long I think about it, I can only imagine those bands are real if they are going to be filled with shiny liquid metal. Notice how these mockups lack a metallic accent like all other iPhones. I guess it’s going to come from there.

    • Marc Plus (@stakwild) - 10 years ago

      Then it would have to be a variation of liquid metal that is radio frequency transparent and non-conductive, which I guess is not impossible since liquid metal is a strange material that can acquire strange properties when combined with other materials.

      But it’s more likely some kind of plastic which will also act as a shock absorber. From the Ukrainian renders and the recent “Xiao long teahouse” leaked back shell, I’ve determined that the antenna bands themselves may likely contain antennas inside.

      So while the antenna bands on the 5/5S acted as insulators for the casing parts, on the iPhone 6 they would act as both insulators and containers for bluetooth/wifi/gps antennas, as the iPhone 6 doesn’t have those glass inserts on the back to put the antennas behind.

      • charilaosmulder - 10 years ago

        You’re wrong about the antenna placement. On the 5/5s the antennas are top and bottom parts of the aluminium band, not the sides or the back or behind those glass inlays. If those ugly dummies were to become the iPhone 6, I’m assuming again the bottom and top parts will act as dynamically switching antennas, divided by those plastic insulation lines.

      • Marc Plus (@stakwild) - 10 years ago

        I’m not talking about the cell antennas which are indeed the top and bottom parts (also in the 6)

        I’m talking about the bluetooth/wifi/gps antennas which ARE behind the glass parts in the iPhone 5/5S. Do you think the glass parts on the 5/5S are there for decorative purposes?

      • Marc Plus (@stakwild) - 10 years ago

        Here’s a diagram showing where the antennas are in the iPhone 5. http://wpuploads.appadvice.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Featured23.jpg

  8. Larry Cepuran (@sk3ptic) - 10 years ago

    I’ve never seen a white LCD panel (or purple for that matter). Is this supposed to be part of the backlight?

  9. livelystate - 10 years ago

    Having got rid of my iPhone 5S because of the screen being too small, I’m excited that Apple have seemingly decided to offer a larger model. I love Apple products and software and the larger device means I can finally purchase an iPhone again. For me the traditional iPhone is just too small for the things that I use my phone for.

  10. kyle3lias - 10 years ago

    Why do you leak the iPhone pictures?

  11. hinezy - 10 years ago

    I originally thought I’d definitely go with the 4.7 thinking 5.5 would be too big. Then I really thought about what I use my phone for. I would put the actual “phone” part at the end of the list. I always find myself using my phone over my iPad simply because it’s right there with me and while I’m on it I’m thinking, why am I not on my iPad, it would be a much better experience! So I’m thinking of passing my iPad on to my son and going with the phablet!

  12. huh (@_whahappen) - 10 years ago

    http://memecrunch.com/meme/181SZ/r-kelly-bump-n-grind/image.png

    Also- Mark, we love you. But if we have to see the word “purported” one more time… http://bit.ly/1potanw

  13. Steve Aldrich - 10 years ago

    standardpull, if you want a 7″ iPhone, buy a iPad mini – it’s 7.9″. Then add Skype.

    With approximate dimensions of 4.9″ x 2.76″, it looks like even the 5.5″ iPhone will retain the same screen proportions as the 5S with its 1136 x 640 pixel resolution. That’s great news for app developers.

  14. Steffen Jobbs - 10 years ago

    Analysts and pundits are always spouting BS about what Apple has to do in order to stay competitive. They believe Apple absolutely has to compete with Samsung by having devices in multiple sizes despite the fact that Samsung is currently having profit margin problems and falling short on flagship smartphone sales. Analysts are just plain stupid when it comes to making assumptions about why Apple can’t increase market share against companies selling $50 smartphones. It’s true that Samsung sells lots of smartphones of various types but profitable high sales are not sustainable quarter after quarter because the lower-priced items start to overwhelm sales of the higher priced items and that almost never works out for the best. Nokia’s downfall is the best example of what happens when a company goes after major market share.

    No company should be forced to try to build products that appeal to everyone. That’s just foolish greed. It would be best for Apple to offer the two most popular sizes of smartphones and let other companies to after all the other sizes.

  15. Taste_of_Apple - 10 years ago

    These seem to line up with all the rumors so far. With the giant bezels on the top and bottom of the phone, I’m not sure whether it will be very usable with one hand. I’m personally likely to stick with the 4.7 inch version as it won’t be super huge, but I honestly think that the bezels need to be shrunken a bit. Let’s see what the finalized design is like.

  16. danlysk - 10 years ago

    If you “intelligence” is right, I see the iPads don’t get the finger print sensor again :-(

  17. Mike Giron - 10 years ago

    I can’t believe they had to put a conversion from centimeters to dinosaur “inches”, 14 cm is 140 mm end of story. NO ONE measures in inches anymore that’s 19th century crap, get it together folks.

  18. sdlifer - 10 years ago

    I absolutely cannot wait for the 5.5!

  19. herb02135go - 10 years ago

    … and some people will live Apple and buy its products because they are shiny. They lack the ability to research and compare. That perpetuates crAppy products.

    Fact is, the overwhelming majority of smartphone users do not use an Apple phone.

    And if people would stop reading about rumors and “purported” items, the media would stop and so would your drooling.

    It’s good to see Apple following Samsung (again) with a larger screen size. Holding the phone to your head is the last thing people do with their phone. And most consumers don’t carry the phone in their pant’s pockets.

    The fact is,most people who have a mobile ph

    • rettun1 - 10 years ago

      I’m glad that got cut off, I couldn’t take much more!

      • Why? He made a point. Apple is indeed copying Samsung about the screen size and also very valid points that the last thing you do with a smartphone is hold it up to your ear as well as not having it in your pant pockets.

        If you just ignore the “crAppy” comments about Apple and try not to be such a dreadful fan-boy, then you’d recognise some truth in it.

        I wish to hear more, because it all makes sense! :)

      • rettun1 - 10 years ago

        First of all, Samsung did not invent the larger screen smartphone. That was a general trend that started picking up around 2010 to compete with the hugely successful iphone 4. Only problem was that the resolution of the larger screens were around the same as the iPhone’s 960×640, with some of them being below it. The other manufactures realized how important the screen is on a smartphone, and then started pushing higher and higher resolution. This inevitably increased the size of the other phones as well.

        And yes, he was saying things that were true. “Fact is, the overwhelming majority of smartphone users do not use an Apple phone.” Yes, that’s true. It’s pretty well known.

        I also noticed that he made a laughable generalization about people would by “crApple” products. Oh he’s just so wise, I wish he would lift me from the fog and show me the way. Bring me into the light!

    • pecospeet - 10 years ago

      I’m confused. “Most consumers don’t carry the phone in their pocket” I suspect that most women carry the phone in their purse, but where do most men cary it if not in their pocket?

      And it seems to me that I see lots of people with their phone to their ear. That’s certainly how I use my phone when I am not in the car with bluetooth available. I have assumed based on the number of people I with the phone at their ear that there are a large number who do not have/use bluetooth.

      • jorge1170x - 10 years ago

        A whole lot of men put their phones and phablets right on their belts, in holster-type cases. Do you not live in a major city or what?

  20. This is great! Finally Apple are doing something right again by making a long overdue larger phone!
    How difficult can it be to grasp thats what people want!!!
    5.5″ is almost too small, could have been 6″, but oh well, its better than the dreadful tiny thing we have now, that only teenage girls can hold.

  21. evilsteven - 10 years ago

    Wow am I the only one that actually like the antenna bands? I mean people actually want just a dull matte surface like the the 45,000 other phones on the market. I know cases make this argument ridiculous anyway but I’ve always liked the fact that iPhones have character to their design. I remember seeing the first gen two-tone iPhone in the wild for the first time and I immediately knew what it was and couldn’t help but awe how “pimp” the 60 year old rich guy looked using it. So I for one condone the the look (hell even the 3GS looks simple compared to the rest of the line) Mow as far as the size.. Thank god finally! Not all of us have dainty hands. Even in this picture the screen doesn’t look huge compared to the persons hand. I have the five now and have issues typing in portrait,also I used to laugh at the droid fags with their clown phones till a coomenter pointed out they hardly make phone calls anymore and I realised I don’t really either and my 14,789 rollover min. On a 700 min anytime Plan just proves it. So I’m going to try the 5.5 for two years and see if I like it. I’m almost sure I’ll love using it but it’s the portability and weight issue I’m concerned wiith cuz hate phones that pull my shorts off!

  22. jedimindtrick99 - 10 years ago

    IMO Besides a larger screen size , iOS 8 is what’s gonna make the phone what it is, I’m hoping they have extra features fit for the larger screen like widgets & split screen, they really need to step it up

  23. charismatron - 10 years ago

    I like that Apple is re-designing the iPhone. I’m totally stoked to see what the heck it’s all about.
    So far, it looks great and I know it’ll be awesome to use–I’m confident it’ll be a great product.

    If I like it, I’ll buy it. If I don’t, I won’t. If it’s crap, it’s just a phone, and it’s not like it’s going to penetrate a hole into the fabric of reality sucking all matter into a swirling junk mass of anti-matter negating existence as we know it, right guys? Guys? :P

    Jokes. I come with the jokes.

  24. Jason (@ReesesPuffsFan) - 10 years ago

    this sounds truly awful who would actually want an iphone that big i hated that they already went to a 4 inch screen although i got used to it it’s just stupid apples conforming to the other companies bigger screen phones to compete, but they dont need to they are already way better. Shame on apple and the people who made these so called “official” photos If i wanted a bigger screen i would take out my ipad mini or my actual computer to see it. the point of a phone is for it to be small you’re not writing the next master piece on it.

  25. While Apple is putting out rumors Samsumg is killing the iPhone with the Galaxy S5 and Galaxy Note 3. I was this close today to switching to Galaxy S5 but iPhone is all I know so I’m going to give Apple one more chance to release something that is compatible to the S5 soon or I will jump ship!

  26. FAME - 10 years ago

    “Too big to be a phone”. It isn’t meant for you in the first place, and only a moron would take time out of their day to explain to another moron the original or basic concept of a phone.

    Screen-size, capability, pixel density – etc., anyone who didn’t foresee these changes coming is obviously a hermit. The phone has become and is becoming and will be the new personal computer, ‘being a phone’ is something phones were back in the 20th century – take your complaints there, where they will be relevant.

    • FAME - 10 years ago

      Kidding. Even then the complaint would be irrelevant.

  27. charilaosmulder - 10 years ago

    I dont think the size fragmentation argument is gone. They’re going to stop supporting the 3.5″ displays from iOS 9 and the same will happen to the 4″ displays since iOS 11. And we all know (hopefully this time) displays are going to stop growing, unless some innovation comes along that makes our hands grow, too. Number of display sizes will increase to the 4.7″ iPhone/iPod Touch, the 5.5″ iPhablet (hope not), iPad retina, and it’s 3/4 and 1/4 screen variations that seem to be baked into iOS 8. F*** you may be right after all, thats quite a lot

  28. Chris Saunders - 10 years ago

    I’ll believe it when one of the case makers has tooled up for this form factor. I’d love to see a 5.5″ iPhone, I’d come back to iOS for that. But if they just scale up the current iPhone design – or maybe that’s more like scaling down the current iPad design – it’s a fail. I think Apple has some tricks up their sleeve yet for that front bezel.

  29. Jonas Johnson - 10 years ago

    I agree with everyone else. Wait until Apple has official photos.

  30. Typhoon Chang - 10 years ago

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