Apple Looking to Hit Big on 5.5-Inch iPhone 6 Phablet: 4 Key Things to Expect on Dec 2014 Release Date
Late maybe in the game, Apple's supersized iPhone 6 at 5.5-inch, tentatively set for release date in 2014 holiday season, promises to be another big hitter for the tech giant, says a new report.
Fresh data from market research firm Kantar WorldPanel pointed to the likelihood of surge migration from Android phablets to Apple's jumbo smartphone that according to numerous analysts will boast of a display panel that is stretched 5.5-inch diagonally.
The global phablet market, said the Kantar report, is growing exponentially as users turn their attention on large-screen phones that serve multiple purposes, chief among them is for visual entertainment.
Such trend, Kantar said, is more noticeable in emerging markets like China, where "more than one in five phablet owners now watch mobile TV on a daily basis."
"It's clear that phablets really are changing the way Chinese consumers use smartphones," Apple Insider quoted the research firm's report as saying.
At present, 40 per cent of Chinese smartphone users are thought to own or planning to buy handsets with wider and taller display panel, which is how analysts are envisioning the next iPhone would be or at least its bigger sibling.
Led by Ming-chi Kuo of KGI Securities, analysts have been forecasting since last year that the iPhone refresh this 2014 will be in two builds - the regular 4.7-inch and the 5.5-inch build to compete with the likes of Galaxy Note series by Samsung.
"Apple is reportedly poised to cash in on this growing market," said Apple Insider on its report.
Now touted as the next big thing from Apple, below are the four major offerings that the massive iPhone 6 will likely bring out of the box:
1080p screen resolution and pixel density of 401ppi
Earlier this April, Kuo provided some key iPhone phablet specs that according to him were sourced from supply chain insiders of Apple in Asia. Easily catching the eye from the supposed intel is the display resolution that the device will flash and it will be in 1920 x 1080 with 401 pixels per inch.
Rectangular volume rocker
From the circular sound control buttons in the iPhone 5S, they keys will be morphed in rectangular shape, according to MacRumors.
6mm-thin iPhone 6 casing
From the already incredible 7.6mm thinness that came with the iPhone 5S shell, the next build will reportedly be no thinner than 6mm, said the same MacRumors report. The most that Apple will get is 6.5mm, still beating the overall 5S build.
It is believed that the iPhone 6 phablet will not only dwarf over its predecessors but also will be slimmer and lighter.
Pricing
While the regular iPhone 6 will mirror the $199 retail price with contract of freshly-issued iPhones, the upsized edition is ready to take home between $250 and $300, Gotta Be Mobile said in a report. The mark up is justified by the larger front real estate and the premium components and materials packed with the device - a 64-bit A8 chip, Liquidmetal casing and sapphire glass/coating among them.
Two separate release dates are reportedly planned by Apple for the iPhone 6 - one in September 2014 for the 4.7-inch version and December in the same year for the first iOS phablet.