The iPhone 4 introduced the Retina display and at the time was the highest pixel density on a smartphone. However they’ve now lost that title with the new range of 1080P HD displays found on the next-gen Android smartphones like the HTC One and the Samsung Galaxy S4. This is leading some to believe Apple will introduce a higher resolution display with the iPhone 6. It’s unlikely that we’ll see this in the next iPhone (probably the iPhone 5S), since the technology might not yet be ready.
It might also signal a larger display – it seems overkill to have a 1080P display on a 4” display. In fact many critics believe the resolution is still unnecessary on a 5” display, so Apple might go for something a bit more modest. Maybe a 4.5” screen with a slightly higher density than the current Retina displays.
Another factor to consider with higher screen resolutions is the power needed to run them – they need faster GPU’s to render more pixels and these typically draw more power. So this would require a bigger battery which might make the device thicker, something Apple doesn’t like doing. It requires a careful balance between screen quality and battery life.
