5.5 Inch Version of iPhone 6 Expected to Become Apple's Upcoming Flagship Product
Apple has been working on loading as much advanced technology as possible into a special 5.5 inch version of the upcoming iPhone 6. Rumours and speculation about the much-anticipated device seem to get more intriguing each week.
iPhone 5.5 Inch Version Will Be Limited Edition
Apple expects to sell about 80 million iPhone 6 units, but 90% of those will be the smaller 4.7 inch model.
Although the 5.5 inch edition will only comprise about 10% of all iPhone 6's, it appears that the phone that almost looks like a tablet is generating 100x more interest than its conventional counterpart.
Most experts believe that there won't be more than 10 million of the larger iPhone 6's sold during 2014.
Some of the high-end 5.5 inch iPhones are expected to ship with sapphire touch screens, and given the rarity of this material we should expect to see this device debut as one of the most expensive smartphones in the world.
Sapphire screens have so far been reserved for high-end devices and components like the fingerprint scanner on the iPhone 5s.
Release of Larger iPhone Delayed Until 2015 Due to Battery Production Issues
While the 4.7 and 4.8 inch versions of the iPhone are still set for release in September of 2014, the 5.5 inch version will probably not reach the market until 2015.
The reason for the delay is said to be due to the fact that battery manufacturers are facing slight challenges in creating a battery pack that is thin enough to accommodate the incredibly thin casing of the larger iPhone.
Typical smartphone batteries are about 2.8-2.9 mm thick, whereas the battery for the 5.5 inch iPhone 6 will have to be less than 2mm thick.
Suppliers Calling It the iPhone Air
In fact, the larger versions of the phone will be so thin that some Apple suppliers have already begun calling it the iPhone Air; though this will likely just be a nickname and not an official title.
The thinness of the larger iPhone 6 is not expected to affect durability but there is a concern that manufacturers may find it challenging to produce these phones in mass quantities while still meeting Apple's technical requirements.
The screen has a resolution of 1920x1080, which means it packs about 401 pixels per inch. Although that would be the highest pixel density in any Apple Retina display, the Samsung S5 still has even denser pixelation at 432 pixels per inch in a 5.1 inch AMOLED display.
Waiting on the Official Specs
Unfortunately, at the moment most of the facts surrounding the larger iPhone 6 are nothing more than speculation and rumour. Still, some reliable sources have been discussing the development of this device and there is a very good chance that it could soon become Apple's most advanced and expensive mobile product.
