Apple Said to be Testing Prototype of New iPhone Disguised in Body of iPhone 4/4S

Maura · Apr 9, 2012

9to5 Mac writes today that it has heard some new details about Apples next iPhone. According to their sources, just as it did last year, Apple is currently testing within the company a prototype version of the next iPhone concealed within the body design of either an iPhone 4 or 4S. The sources say that the next iPhone will most certainly not have the same design or look as the iPhone 4 or 4S, but Apple is testing the new device, which is known as N96 within Apple, in the old shell to prevent leaks. This would probably mean that Apple employees may even have been using the new iPhone in public without anyone noticing. 9to5 Mac says that the primary purpose of this current prototype testing schedule is to test a variation of the A5X chip that is in the new iPad in an iPhone. According to 9to5 Mac, these new prototype iPhones are using a variation of the A5Xs S5L8945X architecture. 9to5 Mac also says that just like the new iPad, these new iPhones will have 1GB of RAM.

Source: Faster iPhone with 1GB of RAM seeded internally, iPod touch 5,1 in the works? | 9to5Mac | Apple Intelligence

Skull One · Apr 9, 2012

Now this is the first rumor I can actually believe. Apple is keeping the same "screen resolution" so they can test the sub parts without a new screen attached. And the current shell design meets the requirements needed for the LTE antenna testing. Now the question is "how big will the screen be"? 3.8"? 4"? Bigger?

Let the guessing begin

jkhonea · Apr 9, 2012

I don't see them going larger than 4". I can live with a jump to 3.8" even, actually.

And this real world testing sounds every bit possible.

Thomasjtsi · Apr 9, 2012

I don't see them going bigger than 4" either but, only time will tell. Skull... weren't you saying that the 3.8"-3.9" could keep the Retina name?

Skull One · Apr 9, 2012

Thomasjtsi said:
I don't see them going bigger than 4" either but, only time will tell. Skull... weren't you saying that the 3.8"-3.9" could keep the Retina name?

3.8" = 300 PPI. Which at a 10" viewing distance is considering "Retina" by Apples definition.

But since the release of the iPad (3rd Gen) the definition was slightly altered to represent the pixel density vs the viewing distance.

Which means they could go to 4" (286 PPI) at 12" viewing distance and technically still be within their specification. This is where I think the smart money goes for betting.