Apple Testing Prototype iPhones With Six-Inch Screens, Not Expected This Year

Apple is testing prototype iPhones with significantly larger screens than current models, according to The Wall Street Journal. The report claims Apple has tested models with screens as large as six inches, a significant increase from the 4-inch screen on the iPhone 5, but they are not expected to be released this year.

5.5-inch Samsung Galaxy Note II vs. iPhone 5 (Source: phoneArena.com)

The electronics giant has begun evaluating a plan to offer iPhones with screens ranging from 4.8 inches to as high as six inches, people familiar with the matter say. That would be a sizable leap from the 4-inch screen of the iPhone 5 released last year, and, at the upper end, would be one of the largest on the market.

But people familiar with the company's internal deliberations and plans indicate it appears more willing to move ahead than in years past. Component suppliers say Apple already began testing larger screens for iPhones in recent months. Apple has been particularly interested in recent tests for a 4.8-inch screen, these people say.

Apple is routinely testing prototype devices and these models might never be released, but this is not the first time that we've heard this rumor. Back in July, the paper reported that Apple was testing larger screens on both the iPad and the iPhone.

MacRumors released a printable papercraft version of a 5-inch iPhone back in February of this year after other rumors of a larger iPhone surfaced.