Conflicting Reports About the Next iPhone

There are conflicting report regarding the next iPhone.  The case leaks from China last week seems to suggest the similarly sized iPhone to the current iPhone with a tapered back while today's widely circulated post suggests something differently.

According to Business Insider via iSource, the next iPhone will sport a larger screen with a thinner bezel.  And it'll like be powered by A5 chip, currently used in the iPad 2.  How did the analyst, Shawn Wu of Sterne know this?

Well, he did what other analysts have done.  They check the supply line.  However, he seemed more interested in communicate to investors that the next iPhone could a bigger deal than just a mild upgrade.

My question is just how much bigger.  If his information is true, a 4" display to replace the 3.5" Retina display used by the iPhone 4 and the iPod touch makes more sense than the 3.7" display that some blogs have reported.

After all, if you're going to go big, you might has well go 0.5" larger.  A 0.2" increase from 3.5" to 3.7" is hardly noticeable, so why bother?

What is not mentioned in his report or mentioned by anyone is the battery life.  Bigger screen and more powerful chip may need a bigger battery.  It'll be interesting to see just how Apple will work this out.  The iPhone 4 has a decent battery life but I'm a moderate to heavy user.  While I am sure Apple will at least maintain at least the same level of battery life, I would hope that Apple would use this opportunity to put some more distance between the iPhone 5 and its competitors.

We are probably 6-8 weeks from actually getting the iPhone in our little hands.  And it'll likely be this month when we learn more about it.  Soon, Apple will be sending out orders to those lucky few in the media to report to Cupertino for the unveiling.