With the brand new iPad just out as of March 16, you don’t have to think too hard of what’s going to be next from Apple. In all likelihood, yes, it would be the iPhone 5, in which we would reasonably expect for it to take a good deal of its features from the new iPad. In fact, taking note that Apple now refers to the latest iPad as the ‘new’ iPad instead of the iPad 3, it’s also very likely that the iPhone 5 would be similarly known as the new iPhone instead. This could be one of Apple’s new marketing strategies or visions in taking its brand forward, which seems to make sense since it’s going to be cumbersome having an iPhone 9 and an iPad 7 in four years’ time, assuming Apple keeps up its yearly update trend.
With many users not yet fully satisfied with the iPhone 4S, which was basically a speed-boosted iPhone 4 sporting a better camera and voice recognition added, the new iPhone would at least bring us the new quad-core GPU found in the new iPad. This would provide us with the enhanced graphics performance seen in the newer apps and games on the new iPad, repackaged in a more portable form for the new iPhone.
In order to match this new level of graphics performance, in all likelihood we would at least be seeing the new dual-core A5X processor in the new iPhone as well. There is also a chance that if Apple makes it in time, it might even unveil a newer quad-core A6 processor in the iPhone 5, which would even take the new iPhone ahead of the new iPad in terms of speed. With estimated processor speeds in the range of 1.5-2.0 GHz coupled with at least 1GB RAM, speed and performance is going to be a given in the new iPhone for it to stay ahead in the smartphone race.
Another huge boost in the new iPhone 5 would be in the increase of network speed from 3G to 4G LTE, since the new iPad already supports 4G LTE. With an estimated speed of being at least ten times faster than 3G depending on the networks, the next iPhone would take the slick, speedy smartphone that we already know to a whole new level of network performance. The speed and infrastructure of the supporting cellular networks in the various countries would be the key here in determining how well they support the full potential performance of the new iPhone.
A key rumored flexibility in the pipeline is that the new iPhone would likely be SIM-less, that is no longer requiring a SIM card. This is done by having 2 or 3 internal antennas that give the iPhone dual-access to both GSM and CDMA networks, thus transforming it into a ‘worldwide’ or ‘global’ phone that is capable of accessing any network in the world.
Physically, a lot of predictions state that the next iPhone would finally be growing in size, up to a screen size of at least 4 inches. This should help the iPhone to be on a par with its Android competitors, who are already sporting many larger 4-5 inch screen sizes. While this is adding bulk and sacrificing portability, the added screen real estate is a welcome bonus and visual pleasure to many, given how smartphones are fully on touchscreens these days. The new iPhone is also expected to slim down a little, while possibly adopting a sleeker and slightly curved back once again, based on some concept photos seen online. Memory-wise, we could possibly be seeing an increase in the maximum capacity from 64GB to 128GB, which would turn the new iPhone into a capacious flash drive as well.
One feature that the new iPhone would certainly not inherit from the new iPad is the 2048 by 1536 screen resolution, since it makes no sense to cram that many more pixels into a smaller screen, given that the iPhone 4 already had the Retina Display with a 960 by 640 resolution since its release in June 2010. At this resolution and image quality of 326ppi, true enough to Apple’s promise, our eyes would not be able to discern any pixels on its screen. So rest assured, the Retina Display is here to stay.
In fact, some new enhancements to the display could also include 3D video and pictures, and the possible addition of a Panoramic camera. These enhancements would certainly bring further boosts to the sharp and slick image processing that Apple is well-known for. With the iPhone 4S already featuring an 8-megapixel camera with Full HD 1080p video, this feature would likely be carried forward to the iPhone 5, with a possible improvement of the front camera to 5.0-megapixels for clearer FaceTime video calls.
Fans of FaceTime video calls would also probably enjoy the new feature of being able to make calls over the cellular 3G/4G networks in addition to Wi-Fi, since presently this is a Wi-Fi-restricted feature. Closely related to the face, is the possible addition of a new security feature, which is face recognition technology. Powering all of these hardware enhancements is a probable improved battery as well, that is speculated to extend talking time to 20 hours on 3G and 10 hours on 4G.
On the software side, we would likely be seeing a newer iOS 6 that is also going to feature the much-awaited custom SMS and email tones, that can even be set by email address, similar to the existing custom ringtones by phone number. Needless to say, the voice assistant Siri from the iPhone 4S would definitely be retained, if not improved further.
To summarize, the new iPhone seems to pack enough enhancements, riding off what we have already seen in the new iPad, in order to fulfill what the iPhone 4S had missed. If you thought that the iPhone 4 and 4S had changed everything again, then the new iPhone would stretch these ‘limits’ even further, with new speed, graphics, and a more visually appealing and stimulating experience as the next generation of 4G LTE starts to take off. The new iPhone 5 might just prove to us that the ‘best’ can indeed get even better.
