Apple will offer a pair of a larger iPhone in the second half of 2014 according to a report from the Wall Street Journal.
The new devices will run 4.5 and 5 inches on the diagonal, according to the report, which cited people familiar with the matter. Both phones will feature metal casings and Apple will apparently do away with the plastic casing on the iPhone 5C. The report also panned rumors that Apple would be coming to market with a curved screen.
The report goes against an earlier Journal report, which predicted new, larger iPhones in 5.5 and 6-inch varieties as early as May.
Apple fans, particularly those in Asia, have been pining for a larger iPhone, especially as Android rivals like HTC and Samsung have already made the jump to more screen real estate.
Apple has resisted the out-sized form factor for some time but could be reconsidering given the number of reports surfacing to the contrary.
IDC reports that smartphones with screen sizes of 5 to just under 7 inches overtook shipments of each of the portable PC and tablet device categories in Asia/Pacific in the second quarter of 2013. According to the IDC, device vendors shipped 25.2 million phablets in the second quarter of 2013, compared with 12.6 million tablets, and 12.7 million portable PCs.
