Apple's Next iPhone Will Sport at Least a 4-inch Screen

Now that the iPhone 4S has been out for a few months, iPhone 5 rumors are starting to heat up. The latest chatter surrounding Apple's next generation iPhone model ('new' iPhone, perhaps?) has the Cupertino company looking at a screen size upgrade that will add at least half an inch to the current 3.5-inch display found all iPhone models.

A report in The Wall Street Journal suggests Apple has already ordered bigger screens from its overseas suppliers and that production of the iPhone 5 will kick off next month. Apple never comments on rumors and speculation, but those in the know believe the new iPhone model will ship to retail in the fall.


Apple is said to be working with no less than three screen suppliers for the iPhone 5, including LG Display, Sharp Corp., and Japan Display Inc., the latter of which was only recently formed in collaboration with a trio of Japanese companies and the country's government.

For whatever reason, Apple has stuck with a 3.5-inch screen ever since the original iPhone was introduced nearly five years ago. Since then, other phone makers have upped the screen size ante with 4-inch and larger displays, such as Samsung's Galaxy Note, which sports a ginormous 5.3-inch screen. That's probably too big for most folks (enthusiasts excluded), but anywhere from 4 inches to 4.5 inches would likely be well received by iOS fans.