iPhone 5 taller front panel snapped alongside iPhone 4S

Harder, better, faster, longer -- that seems to be Apple's mantra for its new iPhone, which has had its supposed casing snapped alongside the current iPhone 4S.

Japanese blog Macotakara made the comparison, which points to a device that's a good deal longer than the existing model, and sporting a display that's about 4 inches on the diagonal.

Snaps of what could be the casing for Apple's upcoming toy appeared several days ago, sporting a striped metallic look. Those images were followed swiftly by blueprints that matched that elongated design. These new snaps suggest Apple's next effort will be a healthy chunk taller, but not significantly wider than the iPhone 4S.

There's a video comparison too, which I've embedded below.

There's no way of telling whether this casing is the genuine article -- it could be a fake, or a prototype design that's somehow found its way into the wild. The panel does chime with earlier reports from the Wall Street Journal that the next iPhone would have at least a 4-inch display.

It also matches rumours that Apple's sixth smart phone (likely to be called the 'new iPhone' following recent iPad naming convention) will have a 16:9 aspect ratio when you spin it on its side, granting owners a widescreen view of funny animal videos.

A thinner, lighter phone wouldn't go amiss, as compared to new mobiles such as the Samsung Galaxy S3, the iPhone 4S is starting to feel rather hefty.

Indeed, with Samsung's new toy now lining the pockets of Android fans, the ball is in Apple's court to blow us away with its next smart phone. Would this baton-style design be enough to keep iOS devotees happy? I'm not sure myself. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below, or on our Facebook wall.