Apple reportedly testing iPhone with near-16:9 display ratio

Apple is testing two versions of the sixth-generation iPhone, both of which include a longer display that brings the smartphone near a 16:9 screen ratio, according to a report.

Both of the phones have a new 3.999-inch display, which has been the hot rumor this month. Apple will keep the current width of the iPhone’s screen, but it will add 176 pixels to the height of the screen.

That addition brings the phone’s resolution from 640 by 960 to 640 by 1,136, according to 9 to 5 Mac, which says it has “independently heard� the information. At those dimensions, the sixth iPhone comes close to a near-16:9 display ratio.

If you want to get a sense of what the new screen could look like, head over to Overdrive Design, which has made mock-ups of various apps running on the new screen size.

Along with the test phones -- which are reportedly being carried around Apple’s headquarters in “thick, locked shells� to keep their designs secret from unauthorized employees -- Apple is also testing versions of iOS 6 custom built for the new display size, according to the report. The new iOS for the next phone would add a sixth row of icons to the device’s home screen.

And while rumors have also flown that Apple wants to keep the phone’s overall size the same despite a larger screen, 9 to 5 Mac says the two phones being tested keep the device’s home button.

Something that isn’t staying is the current 30-pin dock used to charge the phone. The report says Apple is using a smaller dock connector on the two prototypes.

Remember, these are all rumors, so take them with a grain of salt. Especially since the phone isn’t expected to arrive for another five months.

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