Whether it is this summer or late fall, we can bet that the Apple iPhone 5 will hit stores before Christmas. However just like how the iPhone 4S manage to shatter sales records despite its predecessors (iPhone 4 and 3GS) already selling like hotcakes, Apple will need to come up with a new iPhone to top the just-released iPhone 4S.
So where exactly can Apple improve on the already well-designed iPhone 4S? Here are 5 areas.
iPhone 5 and 5 ways it can trump the iPhone 4S
New Design: Despite selling well, one of the biggest disappointments when the iPhone 4S debuted was that it shared the same design as the iPhone 4. So it’s about time Apple gives the next-gen iPhone a major refresh.
Larger Display: With the current trend of smartphones being big displays, a 4-inch display for the iPhone 5 will no doubt attract fans from other platforms. However the argument here is that the iPhone 4S is rightly sized now for easy one-handed usage. For that reason, reducing the bezel around the corners of the iPhone 5 like in the concept render below should allow for a larger display but same overall proportions.
Quad-core processor: The biggest rival to the iPhone 5 would no doubt be the Android platform, with the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S3 expected to be the most prominent of the army. The latest Android rumors hint that the next flagship Android smartphones from all the various manufacturers may all come with quad-core chips e.g. Samsung Galaxy S3, HTC Edge, Motorola Bullet, LG X3. iPhone games have been known to push the boundaries in terms of graphics so sticking in a quad-core processor will certainly help in future innovation.
4G LTE: With Verizon, AT&T and Sprint all working on their own 4G LTE networks, the current 3 networks that offer the iPhone 4S are already getting prepped for LTE devices. So it only makes sense that Apple should too.
Slimmer Design: Just like in the case of the evolution of the original iPad to the iPad 2, the iPhone 5 could be slimmed down over its predecessor. Starting with the Motorola DROID RAZR which launched with a 7mm thick body, future high-end smartphones like the HTC Ville and Samsung Galaxy S3 are all expected to be around the 7mm-8mm range. The key here is to deliver a slim iPhone 5 yet still allow space for the additional LTE radio and an appropriate sized battery. One such solution would be a cheese-wedge design like the MacBook Air (see below).
Whether Apple decides to integrate just one or all of these features, we’re sure the iPhone 5 will once again change everything.
