Apple’s seventh-generation smartphone will be a major update, boasting substantially better specs than its predecessor, an analyst has forecast.
According to Peter Misek of Jefferies, the handset informally dubbed the iPhone 5S will feature a camera and a screen rocking a so-called “super HD” resolution, which we can only assume means higher than 1080p (the iPhone 5 features a ‘sub-HD’ resolution of 1136 x 640).
Moreover, the display - which may be even labelled ‘Retina+’ to reflect the increased pixel count - is also likely to be an IGZO (Indium gallium zinc oxide) variety. This, and we’re paraphrasing Wikipedia here, enables smaller pixels for a higher resolution display than the amorphous silicon typically used for the active layer of an LCD screen.
Fret not, Misek also predicts the 5S will be equipped with bigger battery to cope with the extra drain on juice. Makes sense. But then again, he also reckons that Near Field Communication might finally make an appearance. So take these prophecies for what you will.
The handset is expected to land sometime in June or July, which may seem odd given Apple has opted for an autumn release cycle for the last two iPhones, but some analysts believe that a summer launch may be inevitable after sales of the iPhone took a dive in the two quarters before the release of the latest model.
Another mooted update – or improvement, depending on how you look at it – is the possibility of a 128GB model, and perhaps less plausibly, six to eight colour variants like the iPod touch, which, we think is a bit too far-fetched.
Rumours have been doing the rounds that Apple has already ordered a ‘trial production’ of the iPhone 5S in a relatively small batch of 50-100k units and is expected to go into volume production in the first quarter of 2013, which would make a summer launch very much possible.
