The next-generation smartphone from Apple – which is expected to be called the iPhone 5 – will have a larger screen than its predecessor, the iPhone 4S, several reports reveal.

The first one to report about the larger screen of the iPhone 5 is The Wall Street Journal.

Citing the proverbial unnamed “people familiar with the matter”, the publication said that the next iPhone’s new screens will “measure at least 4 inches diagonally,” a marked departure from the 3.5-inch screens which have adorned the iPhones since the first one was released in 2007.

In fact, the latest smartphone from Apple, the iPhone 4S, still has a 3.5-inch screen although it is a Retina Display unit.

Furthermore, according to the Journal, production of the larger screens for the iPhone 5 is set to begin next month.

Making the iPhone 5 screens will be LG Display, Sharp and Japan Display. Samsung Electronics, which Apple is locked with in a bitter legal dispute all around the world, seems to have been left out.

Traditionally, Samsung has made important components of iPhone like its display, processor, RAM and internal storage. Samsung is expected to battle it out further with Apple as it was recently crowned the largest phones vendor in the world.

The South Korean company has also recently unveiled its newest flagship superphone, the Galaxy S III, which has a 4.8-inch screen with 720p HD resolution. Smartphone manufacturers seem to be putting bigger and bigger screens on their devices. One of the most noteworthy big-screened smartphone is the Samsung Galaxy Note which has a 5.3-inch screen prompting some to call it a pablet or a tabphone.

Meanwhile, another report says that Apple will indeed put a larger screen on the iPhone 5. The report comes from Reuters and like the Wall Street Journal report, it cites “people familiar with the situation”.

According to the news organization, Apple will include a 4-inch screen with the iPhone 5, a roughly 30 percent increase in screen size from current iPhones. What the report differs in from the earlier report of the Journal, however, is that it says that it says that production has already started for the larger iPhone 5 screens. Nonetheless, it also says that LG, Sharp and Japan Display will be making the iPhone 5 screens.

Nonetheless, we must note that reports like these are typical for the months before Apple launches a new product. To be sure, however, we’ll have to wait until Apple takes the wraps off the iPhone 5 which is expected to be launched this October.

Image from lassi.kurkijarvi on Flickr (CC)

About Solon Harmony Dolor

A passion for technology and journalism makes this upcoming writer very interested in social media and technology news. Fresh from finishing an English and Journalism degree from the University of the Philippines Diliman, he aims to bring interesting news to our readers .