Apple Working On Larger iPhones With Curved Displays For Release Next Year

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Apple is currently developing multiple iPhone models with larger screens and curved displays for release later in 2014, according to a new report from Bloomberg. While reports from other publications have previously said that Apple is working on larger screen sizes, this is the first report that says Apple is working on curved glass displays for the iPhone.

Not only are new display designs in the works, but the company is developing “enhanced sensors that can detect different levels of pressure,” according to the report.

Two models planned for release in the second half of next year would feature larger displays with glass that curves downward at the edges, said the person, declining to be identified because the details aren’t public. Sensors that can distinguish heavy or light touches on the screen may be incorporated into subsequent models, the person said.

4.7 and 5.5 inches

The screen sizes Apple is working on are reportedly 4.7 and 5.5 inches, which aligns with an earlier Wall Street Journal report that said screens “ranging from 4.8 inches to as high as 6 inches” were being prototyped. The current iPhone lineup features a uniform 4-inch display, and to put the rumored measurements into perspective, the Samsung Galaxy Note has a 5.7-inch display.

The move to a curved display would likely mean ditching LCD for OLED, a more advanced display technology used by Samsung and LG in their phones with curved glass, the Galaxy Round and LG Flex. OLED keeps glass from cracking when it is curved or bent, and it’s also a display that could work well for something like an iWatch.

While the curved glass design and new screen sizes are currently planned for the second half of next year, Bloomberg notes that “testing continues on the pressure-sensitive technology, which is unlikely to be ready for the next iPhone release and is instead planned for a later model.”

Source: Bloomberg

Image: Yanko Design

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