Round the Corner: Report Revives Rumors of a Curved Display for iPhone 6

If there’s one constant in the universe, it’s that we love to speculate on the design of new iPhones long before they’re released—or even announced. The iPhone 6, of course, is the latest handset from Apple to receive heavy rotation in the rumor mill, and one of the most persistent rumors is the question of whether or not it’ll have a curved display. A new report on Japanese tech site MacOtakara—translated via MacRumors—says that the iPhone 6 will, indeed, have a curved display…just not in the most obvious way.

According to the report, the iPhone 6 will offer rounded edges and covers, and that the glass display “will sit flush with the device’s rounded corners.” This, of course, is in stark contrast to how curved displays have been typically utilized so far, like the ostentatious LG Flex and the Samsung Galaxy Round. Those two handsets are completely curved, helping them stand out…and also look kind of silly compared with the rest of the smartphones out on the market.

Rather, this report, which cites “reliable sources,” brings a different smartphone to mind that seems like a much more plausible precursor to whatever’s going to be coming from Apple:

That’s the Nokia Lumia Icon (also known as the Lumia 930 outside of the US), which features curved glass at the edges, making for a very slick looking phone, and a much classier application of the technology. If the report is true, it wouldn’t be too surprising if Apple went for an even subtler use of this kind of curved edge design. Moreover, it would help make sense of the fact that we’ve had more than a few rumors that the iPhone 6 would and also wouldn’t feature a curved display. The truth is they’re both right—the main display would still be flat and fit a relatively familiar iPhone profile, while the edges would offer a curved design that’s more about form than function.

This sounds like the real deal—but then, we won’t really know until Apple decides to pull back the curtain. And that probably won’t happen until at least June at WWDC. What say you? Will Apple—which holds a patent for improved curved display technology—create a curved iPhone 6?

[Source: MacRumors via MacOtakara]