Next iPhone may be 2mm thinner than iPhone 4S

The biggest news of the day has undoubtedly been the unveiling of the latest smartphone from Samsung, their Galaxy S III. The handset boasts of features that could certainly leave the current competition in the market biting the dust. The biggest competition to this Android smartphone is believed to be the next generation iPhone, aka the iPhone 5. Like the rumours surrounding the Galaxy S III prior to its launch, there have been countless rumours surrounding the next flagship smartphone from Apple. The latest bit of information comes from iLounge, wherein sources have informed them that the new iPhone will feature a 4-inch screen, metal rear, a smaller dock connector and will be around 10mm longer and 2mm slimmer than the current generation iPhone 4S.

The new dimensions based on rumours

The report states, “The new iPhone will indeed be longer and thinner than the iPhone 4 and 4S. Approximate measurements are 125mm by 58.5mm by 7.4mm—a 10mm jump in height, nearly 2mm reduction in thickness, and virtually identical width. According to our source, Apple will make one major change to the rear casing, adding a metal panel to the central back of the new iPhone. This panel will be flat, not curved, and metal, not ceramic. Our artist’s rendition provides a rough idea of what this change will look like; it echoes the current-generation iMac design, to be sure.”

Prior to the announcement of the iPhone 4S, there had been a lot of talk floating around stating that the iPhone 4S will feature a curved back, giving it a look similar to that of the iPod Touch. However, with this bit of information, that rumour stands in doubt.

Will be 2mm thinner?

The sources have also informed the website that the handset will feature Gorilla Glass 2, which will not only allow it to be thinner, but also stronger than the Gorilla Glass that is used on the iPhone 4S. The report details this by stating, “The change in height will include a lengthening of the prior 3.5-inch screen to roughly 4-inch on the diagonal. As the new iPhone won’t widen, this appears to confirm that Apple will change the new iPhone’s aspect ratio for the first time since the original iPhone was introduced in 2007, adding additional pixels to the top and bottom of the screen.” The change in the display size could allow the addition of a new row of icons at the bottom; however, this is merely speculation on our part.

New dock connector expected to arrive on the next iPhone

There have been rumours in the past surrounding the dock connector and this report backs the previous ones where they say that Apple may indeed use a smaller connector that is pill shaped, as opposed to the rectangular one found on the current generation iOS devices. They state that Apple will incorporate this redesign of the dock on all their forthcoming iDevices and will use a 16-pin connector, instead of the 30-pin connector, which is present now.

Let us know our thoughts on these design changes in the comments section below.