Apple could begin production for the latest iPhone offering as soon as next month. Three suppliers have been tapped to make 4.7-inch screens for the iPhone 6, which is set to feature Apple's largest screen yet, sources told Reuters.
The 4.7-inch screen is likely to be put into mass production in May and should launch this fall, but the 5.5-version of the iPhone 6 may be delayed, the supply chain sources told Reuters, asking not to be identified.
Japan Display Inc, Sharp Corp and South Korea's LG Display Co Ltd are the three suppliers that will reportedly be working with Apple to produce the screens, Reuters said. The flagship Japan Display plant is scheduled to start production in May, while the other two suppliers should begin making screens in June.
Apple's 4-inch screen is among the smallest displays on the smartphone market, and industry analysts have long wondered when Apple will introduce a phablet-esque phone.
While the Cupertino, Calif-headquartered company and its suppliers haven't officially confirmed the new screen size, evidence seems to be piling up, a Forbes contributor noted.
Reports that Apple will introduce a larger-screen phone have been surfacing since the fall.
The Wall Street Journal reported in January that Apple planned to release an iPhone with a 4.5-inch screen or larger and another version with a display larger than 5 inches.
The larger of the two devices is still in early development stages, but the one with the screen around 4.5 inches is reportedly being prepared for mass production, WSJ reported at the time.
The report came in the wake of hype around the phablet trend as more device-makers roll out phones with larger screens, or "phablet" hybrids akin to both a phone and a tablet. Apple, which started the tablet market with the release of the iPad, has been "woefully slow" in jumping on this tech trend, according to a Forbes report.
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