When Apple introduced the Retina Display with the iPhone 4, it changed the way we look at displays, and also what we expect from them. It has become the standard for new displays to be compared to, despite being a few years old now. Devices such as the HTC One have begun to overtake the quality offered by the iPhone with their 1080p display exceeding the Retina PPI, so what will Apple do for the iPhone 5S?
Media sources are claiming that because of this, Apple plans to introduce an enhanced Retina display with the iPhone 5S, which doubles the resolution, bringing the pixel count to 1.5 million, but keeping the same 4-inch display found on the current iPhone 5. The current iPhone 5 has a pixel count of 730,000 which works out to 326 pixels per inch, whereas the 1080p screen of the HTC One crams 2 million pixels into a 4.7-inch space, putting it substantially higher than the iPhone 5.
Further hardware changes are to be found with the bezel of the iPhone 5S, which is reported to be taking the appearance of the iPad Mini, allowing the device to be made overall smaller, but retaining the same screen size – a rumour that we’ve also been hearing about with the iPad 5.
iPhone 5S – S for Substantial Upgrade?
However, usually with the ‘S’ cycle of upgrades, Apple only introduces minor internal changes with a major software release, and has never majorly changed the cosmetic appearance of an ‘S’ upgrade. That said, it’s not impossible that Apple will choose not to do such an upgrade purely to keep with their upgrade plan, but it would be a very unusual move given their past marketing strategy and product lineup.
The Retina Display still looks amazing compared to a majority of devices on the market, but with hardware like the HTC One slowly being introduced, Apple must react to keep the iPhone on the top of the smartphone ladder.
What do you guys think? Let us know in the comments below.