Apple announces larger iPhone 5

UPDATE:

Apple has officially unveiled its next generation iPhone with a larger touchscreen.

The iPhone 5 is 18 percent thinner than the iPhone 4S measuring 7.6mm thick, and 20 percent lighter weighing in at 112 grams.

The screen is 326pp, 1136 x 640 pixel panel and will accommodate an extra row of icons. Apple claims the new display has 44 percent more color saturation than the iPhone 4S.

The new iPhone 5 will launch with iOS 6. The new iPhone finally gains support to 4G LTE.  AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon all have 4G LTE networks. AT&T Verizon have confirmed it will offer the iPhone 5.

Powered by an A6 chip with CPU and graphics twice as fast as the A5 unit in the iPhone 4S Apple says web pages load 2.1 times faster.

Apple claims up to 8 hours of 4G talk time or  web browsing over LTE. The 4S delivers 6 hours of browsing on 3G. Users can expect up to 10 hours of video and 40 hours of music.

The camera remains similar to that in the iPhone 4S with an 8-megapixel resolution paired featuring a 5 element lens with an f/2.4 aperture. Apple boasted the iPhone 5 camera is 40 percent faster at capturing images. Finally the iPhone gets panoramic mode that can stitch images together.

The iPhone 5 introduces a smaller dock connector for which Apple will offer an adapter to connect the phone to docks and other devices using the familiar 30-pin connector.

iPhone 5 will inherit the pricing of the iPhone 4S - $199 for 16GB. $299 for 32GB, $399 for 64GB. The iPhone 4 soldiers on as a free device while the iPhone 4S price will drop to $99 with a two-year agreement.

Color choices include black with a black anodized aluminum rear panel, and white with a raw aluminum back.

Preorders will be begin Friday September 14 and devices will ship September 21.

Today's previous post:

It is also widely believed that Apple will launch a smaller tablet that has been referred to as an "iPad mini." Some expect an announcement later this this year, but Apple could reveal it early to take some wind out of Amazon's sails who unveiled its new tablets last week.

Apple is expected to launch the new iPhone September 21. 

What you are likely to see in the next iPhone?

The new smartphone is said to be taller with a longer touchscreen up from the current 3.5-inch display to 4-inches, yet no wider.

Fashionably late, the iPhone is expected to support 4G LTE.

It may be even thinner than the current device, partially attributed to a new touchscreen layer technology that should also improve image quality.

The 3.5mm audio jack is said to be relocated to the bottom of the phone where Apple is introducing a much smaller 9-pin dock connector. Apple is expected to reveal some significant advantages to justify the the change from the current 30-pin port.

Expect an evolution of the current industrial design theme having a mostly metal back with glass ends to help with reception.

There have been reports that Apple has redesigned the earbuds its includes with each.

The consensus is that prices won't change much if at all retaining the same price points as the current iPhone 4S - $199, $299, and $399.

What you won't see: MicroUSB, removable battery, or a microSD card slot.

It is also unlikely Apple will use a quad-core CPU.