> It also sounds like it was originally going to be the correct resolution, they just couldn't get the yields.

I strongly assume that the lower resolution was indeed Plan B, and that it's the result of another twist in the saga of Apple's relationships with the mobile component suppliers.

On a not-really-unrelated note, the Samsung Galaxy Note 4's screen is apparently pretty stellar in all respects, not just resolution: http://www.displaymate.com/Galaxy_Note4_ShootOut_1.htm .