If you’ve ever seen a friend’s Android phone and marveled at just how big it was compared to your iPhone, Digitimes thinks you should start getting used to the bulk: they claim that Apple’s fifth-generation iPhone will pack a 4-inch display to directly compete with Android’s larger displays.
It’s a curious rumor. If true, it would make the iPhone 5 the same footprint as Samsung’s Galaxy S and Nexus S smartphones.
Digitimes’ report is pretty suspect, though: according to them, Apple wants to bump the display size to four inches to allow them to better compete in the tablet market against products like the Dell Streak 5.
That’s a joke: Apple doesn’t need to compete with “tweeners” (as Steve Jobs described them) at all. However, if rumors of an iPhone nano have any weight to them, Apple might increase the display in order to to further distinguish the difference between the smaller 3.2-inch nano from the existing 3.7-inch iPhone. A bigger iPhone would also allow Apple to increase battery life.
I’m pretty skeptical, though. For many people, the iPhone is the perfect size, while handsets like the Galaxy S or Nexus S simply feel too big. Android isn’t gaining traction against the iPhone primarily because it comes on bigger handsets. It’s gaining traction through ubiquity across all carriers and all devices.
