Apple testing iPhone screens up to six inches

Sources close to Apple have spoken to the Wall Street Journal. They claim that the company have been evaluating a range of screens from 4.8 inches to 6 inches in size. The current iPhone has a 4 inch screen so it would be a significant increase if they opted for a 6 inch panel.

The Wall Street Journal say “Such plans signal further that the Cupertino, Calif., company is shifting its smartphone strategy as it searches for new engines of growth, and as competition with Samsung Electronics Co. intensifies.”

The news follows after Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Note 3 with a 5.7 inch screen. This size places it into the hybrid smartphone-tablet category.

The Wall Street Journal added “It is unclear whether Apple will ultimately choose to follow a multi-size, multi-device strategy beyond shipping a new lower-cost model for the first time later this month. The company often tests different devices and configurations before choosing a course.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.”

Other sources say that Apple won't be changing the screen size next Tuesday and Apple have obviously refused to comment, as they never do.

Last year Apple released their iPhone 5 with a larger screen but analysts have said that it wasn't enough. Competitors are gaining more ground this year. Apple offer the iPhone at $650 without a subsidy, but Samsung have a range of phones priced under $100 in places like China, India and Indonesia.

Apple's share of world wide sales fell to 14% in Q2 from 19% the same time a year earlier. Samsung's share rose to 32% in the same time period, according to research organisation Gartner. Samsung are able to bring their products to market quicker than Apple because they control the entire manufacturing process for their smartphones. Apple rely on partners Hon Hai Precision and Pegatron Corp in Taiwan for their production.

Kitguru says: An iPhone with a six inch screen, would you want one as big as that in the future?

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