Rumor: Apple’s upcoming 5.5-inch iPhone will feature a one-handed mode

Rumor: Apple’s upcoming 5.5-inch iPhone will feature a one-handed mode

Rumor has it that Apple is developing a "one-handed mode" for the supposedly forthcoming 5.5-inch iPhone 6 model.

For awhile, it has seemed that the “large” iPhone that Apple is expected to announce next week would be a dilemma in a phone’s body. Because while big phone screens might look great for everything from reading eBooks to playing games, they are heavy and difficult to hold. In fact, Apple itself has seemed concerned about that fact, which could explain why the rumor mill points to the company announcing two new iPhones next week: a 4.7-inch standard version (the iPhone 6) and a larger 5.5-inch model (supposedly dubbed the iPhone Air).

According to a report from UberGizmo.com, though, Apple may have actually solved the dilemma of the larger iPhone model altogether. The article discussed a rumor that Apple has worked to develop a “one-handed mode” for the 5.5-inch iPhone model.

Such modes are not unheard of among today’s rash of larger smartphones. Samsung has implemented one-handed features on some of its bigger models to keep them competitive with smaller, more compact phones. Samsung’s one-handed feature essentially shrinks  the display to the lower right or lefthand corner of the screen, so that users can send texts, operate apps, and perform other operations with just one hand. The feature, of course, can be turned on and off.

As the UberGizmo article notes, Apple would probably want to do the one-handed mode a bit differently, and for two reasons: first of all, Apple and Samsung have sued each other several times in the past for supposed patent infringements, and Apple would not want to be deliberately lowering itself into another courtroom fray.

Secondly, Samsung’s one-handed mode may be functional, but it does not look very good and kind of renders a bigger screen pointless. Since Apple is a company that has always been very concerned with sleek aesthetics, Samsung’s solution of simply shrinking the display and leaving substantial parts of the screen blank would probably not be appealing.

All iPhone 6 rumors will either be silenced or confirmed next Tuesday, when Apple CEO Tim Cook takes the stage at 10 a.m. Pacific to announce his company’s latest product innovations.

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