Apple iPhones to Come Out With Bigger Screens

This is great. I really love my iPhone.

At WSJ, "New Models, Expected in Second Half, Won't Include Curved Displays" (at Google):

Facing competition from rivals offering smartphones with bigger screens, Apple Inc. AAPL -1.82%  is planning larger displays on a pair of iPhones due for release this year, people familiar with the situation said.

The people said Apple plans an iPhone model with a screen larger than 4½ inches measured diagonally, and a second version with a display bigger than 5 inches. Until now, Apple's largest phone has been the 4-inch display on the iPhone 5.

Both new models are expected to feature metal casings similar to what is used on the current iPhone 5S, with Apple expected to scrap the plastic exterior used in the iPhone 5C, these people said.

The phones, expected in the second half, won't include a curved display, a feature recently introduced by rivals including Samsung Electronics Co. 005930.SE +0.62%  , the people said. They cautioned that Apple's plans weren't final and that the company could change course.

The smaller of the two models is further along in development, and is being prepared for mass production, the people said. The larger-screen version is still in preliminary development, they said.

pple declined to comment.

The plans for larger iPhones come as Apple is losing market share to rivals who offer bigger screens. Those models have proved popular as more people use the handsets to play games, watch video or surf the Web. Samsung's 5-inch Galaxy S4 and 5.7-inch Galaxy Note 3 are among its best-selling models.

Bigger screens are particularly popular in China, an important market for Apple's growth, where Chinese manufacturers offer smartphones with larger screens at a lower price than the iPhone. Apple this month started offering iPhones through the country's largest carrier, China Mobile Ltd. 0941.HK -1.10%

"Apple definitely needs a larger-screen smartphone soon, particularly to address the demand in the emerging markets," said Canalys analyst Jessica Kwee. Canalys estimated that nearly one-fourth of smartphones shipped world-wide in the third quarter, about 60 million phones, had displays that were 5 inches or larger.