What we know
It's easy to sum up what we know about the next iPhone. I can summarize it for you in one word – nothing. Apple, along with the entire supply chain, operates under a tight cone of silence and leaks are rare. And even when genuine leaks do happen (like the leaked photo of the iPad's A5X processor), it's impossible to sort them out from the rumors and nonsense until after the new device is released.
The only people who know for sure what the new iPhone is like work at Apple and for the companies making/assembling components for Apple, and these people aren't talking.
What we think we know
Now that I've admitted that we know nothing official about the next iPhone (and don't trust anyone who says otherwise), here are some rumors and educated guesses related to Apple's next smartphone.
- Name change
We'd all expected that the new iPad would be called 'iPad 3.' Apple surprised us by simply calling it 'iPad.' Given this change, it's now widely accepted that the next iPhone will be called 'iPhone' as opposed to 'iPhone 5' or something similar. Apple doesn't have a 'MacBook Air 4' or MacBook Pro 12,' so it makes sense to abandon the number scheme for the iPad and iPhone.
Verdict: Likely - LTE/4G support
Now that the new iPad now sports LTE/4G high-speed data support, it's likely that the iPhone will do the same, especially as carriers expand LTE coverage.
Verdict: Likely - Same screen size/bigger screen
There are a lot of rumors that Apple will increase the size of the iPhone's screen from the current 3.5-inches to something bigger – maybe 4-inch – to better compete with Android handsets. I'm unconvinced that this will happen. Increasing the screen size would mean a significant drop in the pixel density of the 'retina' display screen and I feel that this is a tradeoff that Apple won't be willing to do (especially given that even adding an inch to the screen size wouldn't allow Apple to bump up the overall resolution of the screen at all to compensate). The iPhone is selling spectacularly well as it is and there's no need for Apple to play with the form factor of the device to add a feature that buyers don't seem to want. After all, if they wanted a device with a larger screen, they'd buy a smartphone with a larger screen.
Verdict: Unlikely - New look
Topeka Capital Markets analyst Brian White believes that the new iPhone will feature a sleek new look that will require a unibody shell. Given that the current styling has lasted two iterations, perhaps a redesign is now on the cards.
Verdict: Maybe - August/September/October launch
Last year Apple shifted the launch of the iPhone from June/July to October, thereby putting the launch sales into the Holiday quarter. This, combined with pent-up demand for a new handset, resulted in record iPhone sales.
Verdict: Likely - Better battery life
If the new handset has LTE support then Apple is going to have to find more Amps to keep the device powered. This is going to mean both more efficient electronics and a battery with a higher energy density.
Verdict: Likely - Even smaller SIM card
With the iPhone 4 Apple switched from the SIM card to the smaller micro-SIM. Now Apple is eyeing an even smaller SIM card that would free up even more space inside the iPhone. Since users don't regularly handle the SIM card, making it smaller offers upsides to Apple with very few downsides for the end user (unless they want to swap SIM cards between different unlocked handsets).
Verdict: Likely
