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Apple testing six-inch iPhone: report

A larger iPhone model may be in the works, according to a new report.
Written by Andrew Nusca, Contributor
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Photo courtesy Apple

A week before Apple will host a press event that industry insiders suspect will be the introduction of two new iPhone models, a new report suggests that the company is evaluating a different versions with resized—in some cases as large as six inches across, measured diagonally—displays.

The Wall Street Journal's Ian Sherr, Eva Dou and Lorraine Luk report today that Apple "has begun evaluating a plan to offer iPhones with screens ranging from 4.8 inches to as high as six inches," according to unnamed sources.

That's quite different from the 4-inch display on the current iPhone 5 and the 3.5-inch display on iPhone 4 and 4S models still popular on the street. Indeed, six inches would make for one of the largest smartphones on the market.

The motivator? Growth. As Apple's nearly legendary decade of success begins to slow, the company is searching "for new engines of growth," the Journal writes. The stiff competition from rival Samsung certainly hasn't helped, either.

Apple typically tests various configurations before deciding upon the version it will take to production, though it is interesting that such an established and successful product would continue to evolve with regard to its dimensions—in this case, in the opposite direction that technology tends to move.

Will Apple follow the market, or set the benchmark for it? We'll find out.

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