Apple has unveiled a taller, 4G-enabled iPhone at an event in San Francisco.
According to the British Broadcasting Corporation, the device’s new size allows it to display an extra row of app icons on its home screen.
The firm said it was 18 per cent thinner and 20 er cent lighter than the iPhone 4S. However, it does not feature an NFC (near field communication) chip to allow it to make touchless payments.
Apple said the handset would work on Everything Everywhere’s 4G LTE network in the United Kingdom.
The news is likely to give EE – which runs the local Orange and T-Mobile services – an advantage against its rivals which will not launch the higher-speed data service until 2013.
“I think it’s obviously what the other networks feared would happen,” said Matthew Howett, a telecoms analyst at Ovum.
“The question will be how many non-EE customers make the switch.”
Apple said the handset would ship on 21 September.
The new screen offers a 16:9 ratio, matching that of widescreen televisions.
But its 4-in (10.2cm) size remains smaller than rival displays used by Samsung, Nokia, Motorola, LG, HTC and Sony’s flagship models.
Phil Schiller – Apple’s vice president of worldwide marketing, who unveiled the device – said existing apps would be shown with black borders until developers updated their products.
Image of Rory Cellan-Jones Analysis Rory Cellan-Jones Technology correspondent
For Apple, the latest version of the phone which supplies the lion’s share of its enormous profits was always going to be crucial to its financial future.
For the rest of the mobile phone industry, Thursday’s launch was something to worry about – how would it change this fast-shifting landscape?
With so many leaks there were few surprises about this bigger, thinner iPhone.
A better camera, more uses for the voice activation feature Siri, and its own mapping system with turn-by-turn navigation all add up to an impressive device.
But Android users, and in particular fans of Samsung’s best-selling Galaxy S3 will say Apple is just playing catch-up. Features like the ability to shoot a panorama have been on their phones for years.
That won’t stop the new phone being a big hit – with millions of existing users now likely to be nearing the end of their contracts.
Those who’ve got used to the iOS system will be keen to stay with it – while for newcomers to the smartphone, the iPhone will be the shiny new thing.
The impact that Apple’s latest model has on the UK mobile phone market is particularly intriguing. When Apple announced that its 4G iPhone 5 would work on EE’s new 4G network, you could hear the cheers from the headquarters of that company.
ut Vodafone and O2 – still furious that their rival has been allowed a head-start on 4G, will be even crosser now.
The handset also features a new Apple-designed chip, called the A6. Mr Schiller suggested this made it twice as powerful as the earlier model.
The camera is an eight megapixel model – the same as in the iPhone 4S, and a lower specification than LG and Sony’s most recent devices.
However, Mr Schiller said the equipment and associated software meant the iPhone would create better photographs in low light than before.
The handset also uses a new, smaller, socket for its charger. This means owners will need to use an adapter to plug the device into existing speakers and other equipment. The adapter is listed as being £25 on Apple’s site.
The handset does not offer wireless charging like Nokia’s Lumia 920.
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