[Update] iPhone 5: Larger Screen, Home Button, Thinner Design?

Update 2: MacRumors has received a tip from a reliable source that says this story is not true (I think we all could’ve figured that out by now).

Update 1: Here’s a better mock up provided by Corey Daniels (@CDugD), with a more unibody look:

Joshua Topolsky, the former editor from Engadget claims sources have provided him with some interesting tidbits about the upcoming iPhone 5. His description is completely different from what we’ve been hearing, but it sure makes things interesting nonetheless:

In a sketch supplied to us by a source (on which the image above is based), the home button is doing double duty as a gesture area; this falls in line with testing we’ve seen for gestures on the iPad, and our sources say that gestures are definitely coming in a future version of iOS. The home button will likely be enlarged, but not scrapped altogether. Furthermore, we’re hearing that the screen on the device will occupy the entire (or near to it) front of the phone, meaning almost no bezel. Our source says the company is doing very “interesting things” with bonded glass technology, and has been exploring designs where the earpiece and sensors are somehow behind the screen itself, making for a device where the display is actually edge-to-edge. Regardless, the sketch we’ve seen suggests the screen will go up to 3.7-inches while keeping the current resolution, and at that size, pixel density goes from 326 to 312 (a drop of 13ppi). That means that Apple can still tout Retina Display technology (the claim is that anything above 300ppi means the pixels aren’t distinguishable at 12 inches). Rumors have been suggesting that the size would bump up to 4 inches, but at that size with the current resolution, pixel density drops to 288, making it harder for Apple to use the RD branding.

This reminds me of the whole iPhone Nano rumours all over again. Take the above with a grain of salt. Who’s more credible, leaks to Joshua or major media outlets like the WSJ or Reuters or Bloomberg?

Here’s the mock up:

What do you think of this possible design?

[This is My Next]

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