The rumors (and spy photos) of the next iPhone, probably coming this fall, indicate that it might be bigger than all iPhones to date.
Most people probably assume that Apple’s decision to make the iPhone bigger is based on a desire to offer a bigger screen — to play Keep Up With the Android Joneses.
But if Apple is headed that way, I’m not sure screen envy is the sole, or even primary, reason.
Somewhere along the line, I remember somebody at Apple telling me why there wasn’t a 4G LTE iPhone — a phone capable of getting onto the superfast cellular networks sprouting up in major cities. And the reason was battery life.
The 4G circuitry of the time (a couple of years ago) drew so much power, the battery would be depleted unacceptably quickly. For proof, all you have to do is look at 4G Android phones, whose batteries generally don’t last even a full day.
So I’m guessing that the iPhone’s upsizing will be equally necessary to accommodate a bigger battery, so that Apple can solve the 4G/dead battery issue. I’ll bet you that when the new iPhone appears, Apple will point out that the battery life is no worse than the iPhone 4S’s, even though it’s got 4G LTE.
The Motorola Droid Razr Maxx follows a similar philosophy (big screen, big phone, big battery), and its battery life is spectacular. It’s not a bad trade-off at all.
Place your bets, people!
The name of the Motorola phone was incorrect. It is the Motorola Droid Razr Maxx.