As the rumored release date of the iPhone 5 gets nearer, a new clue has come to light as to what we can expect to see.

Following are some calculations or educated “guestimates”, leading to some speculative conclusions that are, though based on conjecture, in all likelihood pretty close, since they come from the folks at MacRumors. When they got their hands on a couple of third-party cases available to the public which claim to fit the iPhone 5, they couldn’t help but notice the cases are quite a bit wider than anything that would fit the iPhone 4′s 3.5″ display, suggesting that a 4-inch screen is in the works for the soon to be released iPhone 5.

The case examined differs from the iPhone 5 case shown previously at Mashable, a soft case having closed ends, which also afforded a clue the iPhone 5 will be noticeably wider and thinner than its most recent forerunner, also indicating the possibility of a 4-inch screen. MacRumors’s measurements with this case were done more precisely, observing that while the iPhone 4 is 2.31 inches wide, with its 3.5″ screen measuring 1.95 inches in width, the display for an iPhone fitting into this particular case would measure a significantly wider 2.24 inches. So if this is in fact the final design for the case, then the iPhone is going to have a 4-inch screen.

Given the well-known close-mouthed nature of Apple, though, along with the chances phony case specifications have been passed along to manufacturers accused in the past of leaking information, we still can’t be absolutely certain of the iPhone 5′s dimensions. Admittedly, this is just one bit of data, but taking it into consideration along with previous iPhone 5 clues, one can’t help but surmise it all points to the same answer: With evidence mounting, it’s a good bet the iPhone 5 will be wider, thinner, and have a larger screen and tapered bottom.

It’s probably safe to say most users find the current iPhone’s 3.5″ screen far too small, and would like to have a display even larger than 4 inches. At this point most believe Apple will be enlarging the iPhone’s screen, making it closer to the continually growing screen sizes of the competition. With the iPhone 5′s rumored October release, at least we won’t have to wait much longer to get some answers.

(Via: Mashable)