iPhone X Plus Will Come With Feature That Allows You To Use It Like An iPad, Per ‘Forbes’
The latest beta version of Apple’s iOS 12 operating system contains code that points to a unique iPhone X Plus feature, one that will allow users to operate the upcoming 6.5-inch device in a similar manner to an iPad, according to a new report from Forbes.
Citing a separate report from Brazilian website iHelpBR, Forbes wrote that iOS 12 beta 5 apparently includes code that has “significant implications” for those interested in buying the iPhone X Plus once it gets released later this year. As previous rumors had suggested that the device would come with an unprecedented native screen resolution of 2688 x 1242 pixels, iHelpBR engineered Apple’s Xcode iOS Simulator in such a way that it ran the new beta software at the aforementioned resolution. This reportedly revealed “secret” landscape modes and unique interfaces for a number of iPhone apps that ship with the device.
As noted by Forbes, Apple had previously experimented with special landscape modes on the larger iPhone Plus models for certain apps, such as Contacts and Calendar. However, this feature was not included in the standard, 5.8-inch iPhone X, likely due to the fact that the smaller phone’s design features include a distinctive notch.
The report added that the possibility of landscape mode as an iPhone X Plus feature is a sign that Apple will be marketing the phone as a productivity-oriented device, as opposed to the regular iPhone X, which might be marketed to casual users looking for high-end features and premium quality.
Larger iPhone X Plus seemingly confirmed by leak in iOS 12 beta https://t.co/Mx85F8ki03 pic.twitter.com/OnOm7Y86io
— The Verge (@verge) August 3, 2018
Meanwhile, the so-called “budget” iPhone X, a 6.1-inch device that is rumored to come with an LCD display and other midrange features, isn’t expected to come with landscape support. As such, Forbes tech writer Gordon Kelly suggested that the possibility of the feature being unique to the iPhone X Plus, much like the phone’s previously rumored dual-SIM support, points to Apple “upselling” consumers to the largest of the three iPhones Apple is expected to unveil this year.
While the Forbes report mainly tackled a possible unique iPhone X Plus feature, the phone’s very existence might have been proven by noted Apple firmware expert Guilherme Rambo, who tweeted a leaked icon that could confirm the 6.5-inch device will indeed be part of the company’s 2018 release schedule.
According to the Verge, the icons are still in the “early and unfinished stage,” which means that they shouldn’t be considered as an indication of how Apple’s largest, supposedly most premium phone of the current year will look like.
