Rumor: Apple is testing iPhone 6 with 1704×960 resolution

The iPhone 6, which has been rumored for some time and which should be released later this year, may have a screen with a resolution of 1704 by 960 pixels, according to an Apple fan site. The exact size of the screen is still a mystery.

A resolution of 1704 by 960 pixels would be a lot higher than that of the iPhone 5, 5c and 5s, which have a resolution of 1136 by 640 pixels. 9to5Mac claims to have heard from anonymous sources that the new resolution is currently being tested. It has been rumored for some time that the iPhone 6 will get a larger screen; a new resolution is therefore obvious, because otherwise the number of pixels per inch would probably drop below the 300 mark, leaving the pixel density well behind that of competing phones.

If the iPhone 6 has a screen of 4.7 inches, the number of pixels per inch at the tested resolution would be 416. With a screen diagonal of 5.5 inches, the number of pixels per inch would be 355; with the iPhone 5s it is 326. This leaves the iPhone behind other phones, such as the Nexus 5, which has a pixel density of 445ppi.

When the new resolution is introduced, developers will have to convert their applications to the new resolution. Otherwise, the applications will be upscaled, causing visual elements to appear blurry. The question is also whether Apple will simply make the buttons on the home screen larger or whether it will be arranged differently for the higher resolution; sources of 9to5Mac differ on this.