Mashable asked its readers which features are must-haves, by choosing the one upgrade feature they’d choose if they could only have one. Bigger screen and 4G were the top responses by a wide margin. Of the nearly 11,000 votes cast, more than 2,200 want the high-speed mobile broadband option. They made this choice despite the fact battery-draining 4G could have a negative effect on the iPhone battery life, which some complained about in the comments.
Likewise, a bigger screen, which could also consume more battery life, registered more than 2,600 votes. Interestingly, a higher resolution screen received the least amount of votes (313), indicating few want the iPhone 5’s icons and on-screen text to get any smaller or any less readable, even if iPhone owners end up with more screen real-estate.
Also high on the list are an 8-megapixel camera (over 1,100 votes), more memory and storage (915 votes) and a thinner body (1080). Some respondents expressed their desire for the rumored tear-drop-shaped design in the comments.
Sprint availability (which is expected), 1080p video recording, voice recognition and an NFC chip for digital credit card shopping all finished in the middle. The fact Sprint is not at the top of consumers' wish list is somewhat surprising. When the iPhone was only available on AT&T, Verizon availability was frequently the number one request for the next iPhone. These days, the iPhone is on both AT&T and Verizon. All carriers, including Sprint, offer access to a wide variety of touchscreen phones, many of which run Google’s Android mobile OS.
The unveiling is just hours away, and you can follow along on our live blog, starting at approximately 12:30 ET. Let us know what you're most excited about in the comments
What the iPhone 5 Could Look Like