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Rumors of a big-screen iPhone return, along with talk of the inevitable iPhone 5S

Andy Boxall
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iphone math mock-upThe latest gossip surrounding Apple’s plans for the iPhone over the coming year revolves around the company releasing not one, but two new iPhone models – the iPhone 5S and an iPhone 6, which could be known as the iPhone Plus.

An anonymous source (is there any other kind) speaking to a Chinese website, then subsequently reported by BrightWire, says an iPhone 5S and iPhone 6 have been spotted hanging around one of Apple’s suppliers, and indicated both the models would be out later this year.

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Apparently, the iPhone 5S is similar in design to the iPhone 5. Leaving aside the usual weary skepticism this type of rumor generates, this does fit in with how Apple usually approaches the follow-up to a brand-new device. The so-called iPhone 6 however, is a different matter, as it’s supposed to have a 5-inch touchscreen and be thinner and lighter than the iPhone 5.

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This harks back to the recent rumor regarding the bizarrely named iPhone Math, which is supposed to have a 4.8-inch screen. According to MacWorld UK, the use of the word Math was the result of a mistranslation, and it should have been called the iPhone Plus. If this is the case, we can see how a 5-inch screen could be mistaken for a 4.8-inch screen, unless one or the other is a prototype not destined for sale.

Two iPhone models in one year?

The arrival of an iPhone 5S is almost inevitable. We know there will be a new iPhone this year, and Apple has called the second version of a new design the something S since the beginning. We’ll go all out and say it’ll have a slightly faster processor and iOS 7 too.

As for a 5-inch iPhone Plus, previous rumors regarding an iPhone with a bigger screen have been retracted, with sources saying the phone won’t be out this year, but may arrive in 2014. Also, making a device with a bigger screen thinner and lighter than the 7.6mm thick and 112 gram iPhone 5, will be quite a feat. Apple has never released two versions of the iPhone in the same year, however it did release two iPad tablet models in 2012, when the Lightning-equipped fourth generation iPad replaced the iPad 3 less than a year after it went on sale.

All this is possible we suppose, but as with any iPhone rumor, it’s best to treat it as a bit of fun until Apple tells us otherwise.

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Andy Boxall
Andy Boxall
Senior Mobile Writer
Andy is a Senior Writer at Digital Trends, where he concentrates on mobile technology, a subject he has written about for…
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